Healthy Chocolates for your Valentine

Sure the fancy heart-shaped boxes are nice, but why buy chocolates for your Valentine when you can make these delicious treats filled with healthful dried fruits and nuts. Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters, we're always ready to test chocolate recipes. These easy to make candies are at the top of our list. They taste like the richest bon-bons and no one will ever know the secret filling unless you spill the beans. The recipe dates from World War I when sugar was restricted to two tablespoons a day. Natural ingredients made these Honey Fruit Chocolates popular holiday gifts for Christmas 1917.

Make some for your special someone and watch him. . . or her. . . smile! The filling keeps frozen for weeks, ready to make a few more whenever you want a delicious little bite.

Honey Fruit Chocolates
1 12-ounce package raisins
1 8-ounce package whole, pitted dates
2/3 cup figs, diced
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
grated rind of half an orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
chocolate for dipping,
such as melted dark or semi-sweet chips
Run the fruit and nuts through an old-fashioned grinder, or pulse in
a food processor, until ground into a rough paste. Stir in rind, juice,
honey, and salt. Chill mixture until firm. Form into balls, about 3/4
inch in diameter. Melt chocolate chips and dip balls to enrobe
filling. Cool on waxed paper or foil. The filling can be frozen and
made into chocolates in batches. Makes about 6 dozen.

Just Desserts for the Big Game Potluck

As the Big Game heads into the dramatic fourth quarter, we here at Potluck Paradise headquarters have a couple of tasty desserts, sturdy enough to stand up to any last minute excitement and delicious enough to sooth any low-score jitters.

Our Green Bay Guiltless Cheesecake is non-fat, and no-bake. Easy to have the fixings on hand for cheesecake when you don't want to wait. The Steelers' Pound Cake combines chocolate and orange batters for a wonderful marbled flavor combination. The cake keeps well for several days and as it does not have butter or shortening, is lower in fat than most pound cake recipes.

Here's our homage to the Steelers' Defensive Line -- a POUND cake in classic Black and Gold.

Steelers Chocolate and Orange Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup cooking oil, such as Wesson
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly. Measure the orange juice concentrate and add water, if needed, to make 3/4 cup. Stir the juice, oil, and eggs into flour mixture. Mix until combined and then beat at low speed with an electric mixer for three minutes. Put half the batter into another bowl. Stir ginger into the first mixture. Put melted chocolate and cinnamon into the second mixture. Spray 8- by 4-inch loaf pans with non-stick spray and divide the orange batter between them. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter into the orange mixture and swirl with a knife to “marble” the batters. Bake until a skewer comes out clean – for pyrex loaf pans 45 to 55 minutes. For Other Baking Pans: Metal or dark pans may bake faster. You could make this in an angle food cake tube pan. Baking time would be longer. To assure ease of removing baked cake from loaf pans, line them with heavy-duty aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray that with the non-stick spray. I would not recommend baking this in a Bundt pan.

Green Bay Packers fought their way into the Super Bowl. They have nothing to be ashamed of, nor should anyone who eats this no-bake, non-fat delicious treat.

Guilt-less, No-Bake Lemon (or Orange) Cheesecake

Make the Lemonade or Orange filling.
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn starch
1 12-ounce can frozen concentrated lemonade (or orange juice), thawed
grated rind of 2 large lemons
3 8-ounce packages non-fat cream cheese (24 ounces total)

Mix the sugar and corn starch in a 1 to 2 quart saucepan. Gradually stir in the lemonade concentrate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns clear and is very, very thick. Stir in the lemon rind and set aside to cool. Plop cooled lemonade mixture into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat until smooth with electric mixer. Add cream cheese and beat until blended.
To make cheesecakes: Spoon mixture onto crust (recipe below) and place in refrigerator to firm. Ready to eat in about 1 hour. Keeps covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before serving garnish with whipped cream or sweetened sour cream (2 teaspoons sugar mixed with 1/4 cup light sour cream for each 6 cheesecakes)

Crust
Melt in a microwave for about 30 seconds, repeat for 5 second intervals if needed:
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir until chocolate is melted and blended with the butter.
Add: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. Stir with fork until well blended and then put 2 tablespoons of mixture in the paper muffin cups and press firmly with a flat-bottom glass or the back of a spoon. Set aside.

Recipe makes 18 muffin-sized cheesecakes (1/3 cup size).

The thickened filling mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or longer, Measure out 1/3 cup to mix with one 8-ounce container of cream cheese to make 6 cheesecakes at a time. Refrigerated crust mixture keeps for weeks, too. Warm slightly before pressing into cupcake papers.

Steelers' Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sunday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers. For Steeler fans, these easy-to-make-ahead meatballs with chipped spinach and golden raisins are a metaphor for the dominance of their team over the Green and Gold. For the rest of us here at Potluck Paradise headquarters, they are just a great meatball that keeps in the fridge for a few days and freezes nicely for a month or more in the sauce. Baking the meatballs in the oven eliminates the need to fry them on top of the stove. A method we love here at PP headquarters for efficiency and neatness!

Steelers’ Sweet and Sour Meatballs

For the Meatballs:
1 9-ounce package frozen GREEN spinach, thawed
1/2 cup GOLDEN raisins
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup orange juice
2 whole eggs, or 3 egg whites
2 1/4 pounds 90% lean ground beef

For the Sauce:
1 14-16 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 1/2 cups white wine or apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup cold water

To Serve:
1 jar cooked red cabbage
Leaves of Romaine lettuce

Preheat oven to 400 degreed F. Thaw the spinach and wring out until very dry. Put spinach and raisins in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Or chop with a knife. Put the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl and stir in the seasonings. Stir in the orange juice and let stand a couple of minutes until the juice is completely absorbed. Stir in the spinach raisin mixture and the eggs. Then add the ground beef. Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray. Form beef mixture into balls, about the size of a large walnut. Place on sheet and spray tops of meatballs with cooking spray before putting into the oven. Bake until internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 160 degrees F. and the tops are browned.

While meatballs are baking, make the sauce. Put cranberry sauce, wine or juice, brown sugar and vinegar into a large pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until cranberry sauce is melted. While this is cooking, combine the cold water and corn starch into a smooth mixture. Gradually stir it into the sauce. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens and turns transparent.

When meatballs are fully cooked, gently place them in the sauce and stir to cover them. Allow to cool and then refrigerate before serving.

To serve. Heat the red cabbage and meatballs. Wash the Romaine lettuce leaves and dry. Place a dollop of cabbage on leaf and then one or two meatballs. Fold up leaf to eat and enjoy!

Copyright 2011 Rae Katherien Eighmey All rights reserved

Green Bay Sacked Potatoes

Cheer on the Green Bay Packers in the Big Game with these easy to make stuffed potatoes. Good hot, warm or room temperature, this healthful and filling dish couldn't be easier to make. Tomorrow's dish as our National Potluck Month continues -- Steelers' Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Green Bay Sacked Potatoes

Ingredients::
"B" size red potatoes
Fully cooked "brown and serve" sausages -- one for each whole potato
Cheddar cheese, finely grated -- 2 teaspoons for each whole potato

Method:
Scrub and then gently boil the potatoes until tender. Cool and slice in half. With a small spoon, scoop out a hollow bowl in the middle of the potato, reserving the scooped out potato bits. Cook the sausage according to package directions then dice.

Combine the cooked potato, diced sausage and grated cheese. Put back into the potato shell. Warm under the broiler or in the microwave until the cheese melts. Serve hot or at room temperature. You can make these ahead and store in the refrigerator until game time!

Potluck with the Champions

Super Bowl contenders Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers fought their way through teams with some tasty cuisine to get to the Big Game. One Potluck Paradise theme for a Super Sunday buffet features classic dishes from those cities.

The Pittsburgh side could feature Baltimore crab cakes and New York Reuben sandwiches or soft pretzels with mustard. On the Green Bay side of the table how about Chicago-style hot dogs -- beef dogs served on steamed poppy seed buns with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped onion, a couple of tomato slices, pickle spears and a dash of celery salt. There is only one way to pay homage to the Philadelphia Eagles -- a hearty cheesesteak!

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we've had a hard time choosing a dish to celebrate Atlanta's team, there are so many possibilities among great urban Southern dishes. Then we came up with Peachy Atlanta Falcon . . errr Chicken .. and Peach-Pecan Chutney.

Easy to make, good served hot or at room temperature, this dish will bring folks around to the Green Bay side even if they are rooting for Pittsburgh. The only hard part is allowing time for the chicken to marinate in the yogurt for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. But it is a treat that is well worth the wait.

Peachy Atlanta Chicken with Peach-Pecan Chutney Sauce

2 pounds skinless chicken pieces -- You can use tenders, breasts either whole or cut into pieces, or thighs With or without bones.
1 8-ounce container peach yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic

For the Sauce
1 14- to 16-ounce can peach halves or slices packed in juice
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup peach juice drained from the can
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 cup chopped pecans

The day before you are going to cook the chicken -- wash the chicken pieces, pat them dry and place them in a gallon-size zippered plastic bag. Mix the seasonings into the yogurt. With a spoon, spread the yogurt on the chicken, trying to cover all sides. Shut bag and gently smush to spread yogurt over chicken even more. Refrigerator for at least 8 hours, turning and smushing the bag a couple of times. When ready to cook: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with heavy-duty foil and place the chicken on it in a single layer. Bake until cooked through and lightly golden on top. Thickly cut tenders take about 20 minutes. Full breasts on the bone will take much longer.

To make the Sauce:
Drain the juice from the peaches and set the fruit aside. Combine all ingredients except the pecans in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Watch that the sauce does not scorch. After 10 minutes, remove it from the heat. While the sauce is cooking, finely dice the peaches and add them to the cooked sauce. The heat remaining is enough to cook the peaches into the sauce. When ready to serve alongside the chicken, sprinkle with pecans.

Super Deviled Eggs

Take Deviled Eggs to any potluck or Game Day party and just stand back. It's magic! They practically disappea before your eyes.

Our Potluck Paradise version updates the classic recipe with a bit of hidden, heart-healthy, finely grated carrot. The result: sunny yellow filling with half the cholesterol of a traditional version. All the flavor and a bit of added texture for interest. Best make extra for the family, because we guarantee you won't have any leftover to tote home.

Super Deviled Eggs
Quantity for 4 eggs ( 8 halves) Can easily be doubled or tripled.
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced in half
1 large carrot
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon mustard (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon dill weed
a couple grinds fresh black pepper

Peel and grate the carrot on the finest side of a box grater. The strands should look like thread. Put the carrot into a double layer of paper toweling. Wring out to remove excess moisture. You will have about 1/3 cup of dry carrot strands. Remove the yolks from the egg whites and DISCARD half of them. Put the remaining yolks in a shallow bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings. Stir in the carrot strands and spoon into the egg whites. Cover lightly and keep refrigerated until serving.

Potluck Paradise Method for Cooking Eggs to Hard Boil.
Always use the oldest eggs in your refrigerator. If I know I'm going to want to make hard-boiled eggs, I will often buy the eggs a couple of weeks in advance. As eggs age in the refrigerator, the air pocket extends and expands between the white and the shell. The larger this air layer is, the easier they are to peel after cooking.

Fill a saucepan with warm water. Put the eggs in so that they are in a single layer and covered with the water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Once the water is at a full boil. Turn off the heat, cover pot and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, Longer time for larger eggs. Drain off water. Fill pot with cold water, gently crack the eggs all around the shell and put into the cold water for a couple of minutes. The pull an egg out and start removing the shell at the bigger end. If the shell is still sticking, hold the egg under a slow stream of water from the faucet and let the running water get between the shell membrane and the white.

Countdown to the Big Game

Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we've declared February to be National Potluck Month. What better way to start the event with a countdown of recipes and ideas for the Super Day.

We're starting off with a healthy take on chips and dips. Non-fat cream cheese forms the base and we're slicing carrots into a chip. Holds more dip that a carrot stick and healthier than a salty corn or potato chips.

We'll have more recipes this coming week so you can prepare for your game-day Potluck.

To make Carrot Chips.
Pick a fat carrot. Peel with a vegetable peeler and then peel a thick slice off one side to provide a flat edge to make the chips. Carefully slice a long diagonal along the length of the carrot. Then cut slices about 1/8 of an inch thick into chips.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip with Carrot "Chips"
1 8-ounce container fat-free Philadelphia cream cheese
2 ounces dried cranberries
2 ounces chopped pecans
2 tablespoons minced green pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, jelly or whole berry


Copyright 2011 Rae Katherine Eighmey All rights reserved