Help! We've been invited to a casual party tomorrow night & I'm supposed to bring a "side or dessert". (yeah, that narrows it right down!) <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

They're serving wings & BBQ but since this is a late invitation I imagine most of the "usual" stuff is already covered by others.

I already have a pretty busy day tomorrow so I'll need something fairly quick that travels well.

Any suggestions?

White Chocolate-Key Lime Pie

YIELD: Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1 (11-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/3 cup fresh Key lime or lime juice
1 (9-inch) ready-made graham cracker crust or your favorite prepared recipe
Garnish: lime slices
Preparation
Combine cream and white chocolate morsels in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook 5 minutes or until morsels melt, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add sour cream, lime rind, and juice; stir well. Pour into crust. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Garnish, if desired.

Lemon Tea Bread from Southern Living! Cake-like bread drizzled with a sweet citrus glaze.

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup milk
* 2 tablespoons lemon rind, divided
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1 cup granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon rind. Spoon batter into greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loafpan.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth; spoon evenly over top of bread, letting excess drip down sides. Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon lemon rind and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; sprinkle on top of bread.

Chocolate pretzel bites are easy to make and travel very well--so long as you keep them somewhat cool--as the chocolate melts if it's really hot out. You can actually make them ahead of time and keep frozen until you want to serve them.

So far they ALL sound great! I might bring a couple different things, thanks!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Sorry, only one tablespoon of sour cream? Seems like this wouldn't be enough volumn to fill up the crust?

It also has a cup of whipping cream & a whole package of white chocolate chips.

I know, I just thought that didn't sound like enough volumn. But I could be wrong, often am.

A couple of weeks ago we had a cookout, ended up with 4 different deserts, this one was completely gone. It is so easy to make, not sure how easy it will be to transport. The almond extract really adds to the cream cheese taste.

Fruit Tart


Ingredients
1 tube (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup halved fresh strawberries
Directions
Press cookie dough onto an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extract until smooth. Spread over crust. Arrange fruit on top, in a shape if you like. Refrigerate until serving.

I am DEATHLY allergic to nuts and actually ended up in the ER last week with the worst anaphylactic reaction I've ever had, so the almond extract would have to be left out. The Pillsbury brand of cookie dough says "may contain traces of nuts" so I can't use it, either. (guess I shoulda mentioned the nut allergy- sorry 'bout that!)

All that being said, this sounds like a really good, easy fruit tart if I make my own dough... may not work for the party but would be EXCELLENT at home!

Dharma--well, obviously you don't want the recipe I provided then, as it has peanut butter in it.

I have no problem at all with peanut butter, I LOVE peanuts!! They're not actually nuts, they're legumes... so despite the fact that they're such a common allergy, I'm completely ok with them!

Oh, ok! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

Interesting, it appears that almond extract is not made from almonds at all. It comes from the pits of apricots and peaches. Who would have know!

What is Almond Extract? Ingredients and Uses

Almond extract is an alcoholic flavoring with many uses in cooking. Almond extract surprisingly does not contain almonds, nor does its production process even involve the almonds for which it is named. Instead, almond extract is created by soaking what are commonly called bitter almonds in strong alcohol, extracting their rich flavor. Bitter almonds are actually seeds that look similar to almonds that are obtain by cracking the seeds of certain fruits including peaches and apricots. Almond extract has an intense almond-like flavor that serves to enhance many desserts including cakes, tortes, and puddings.

I've never made this, but saw it posted recently on Facebook, and it looks really good and easy:

Twinkie Tiramisu

Peaches & Apricots are related to Almonds & are each a sub-genus of the Prunus genus... while I've never had a reaction to the fruit, I've made a conscious effort to avoid the pits, even in scrubs & body washes, just in case. Since it's life-threatening (dr. at ER last week told me if I had taken any longer to get there I'd have been in "big trouble"), I'm just not willing to take a chance! I have found "imitation" almond extract but I haven't a clue as to what's in it.

That Twinkie Tiramisu looks remarkably good! Since I've been on my "healthy food" kick, I MISS TWINKIES! It's been YEARS since I've had one, so might be a good time to indulge!

So many good choices! Thanks everybody!

Simple... bring some home made brownies or chocolate chip cookies OR "Magic Bars". The basic recipe is on the can of sweetened condensed milk. This one is slightly embellished

[color:"blue"]Magic Cookie Bar Pie[/color]- serves about 12 -
Adapted from the BakedBar recipe in Baked: new Frontiers in Baking

Ingredients

For the crust: OR use a store bought Graham Crust
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 3/4 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (I used choc grahams in my magic bars)
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) butter

For the filling:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips (heath chips, Mini M&Ms, etc.)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Note: The peanut butter is not traditional in this recipe, but it is delicious. If you want to stay traditional, you can choose to use 1 cup of toasted pecans, walnuts, or peanuts instead.

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. Butter a 9-inch pie plate

3. Put the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and toasted coconut in a pan over low heat until melted; stir until the mixture is cohesive.

4. Let cool until it is still warm but not hot to the touch; using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom and sides of your pie plate.

5. Refrigerate the crust for 15 minutes, then bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 20 minutes before moving ahead.

6. Increase the oven temperature to 325°F.

7. Place the peanut butter in small even dollops across the bottom of the crust.

8. Evenly scatter the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on top of the peanut buttered crust.

9. In a steady stream, pour the sweetened condensed milk over the filling. Gently shift the pan to make sure the milk has been distributed evenly.

10. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly (mine was more like 40 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. I found that chilling for an hour or so helped the filling set.

11. Using a very sharp knife, cut to serve. Put your knife under hot water to keep it clean between cutting slices so that things don't get really messy.

This isn't exactly a dessert but we had it at our party and it was quite a hit.

Simply buy a jar of pineapple chunks, pour off liquid and then cover with coconut rum. Add toothpicks.

The pineapple chunks are going to become a regular item for Buffett tailgates!

I ended up making the pretzel bites since they were the easiest & when I walked up to the dessert table there were a whole bunch of people standing there exclaiming, "oh my God, they're PRETZELS! Those are SO GOOD!!!" and they were grabbing them by the handful. It's like a peanut butter cup with a pretzel in it, they are REALLY good.

I saved a few for home but hubby got to 'em before I ever saw them again! The recipe ended up making 72.

Company coming over next weekend so I plan to make a couple of the other recipes you guys provided. Thanks so much to everybody!!!

Glad everyone liked them! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> When I make them, I always make a double batch, as the chocolate is enough to do two batches, and I freeze one batch, so there's more for me later. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I just stuck the extra chocolate in the fridge & let it harden, & have been nibbling away at it every time I walk by! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" />

See, that's where you messed up! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> The bag of pretzels is enough for more than one batch, and then it's just a question of peanut butter and brown sugar and powdered sugar! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> Surprised you got 70 some cookies, though, as I normally get around 45 to 50. Your cookies must be a lot skinnier than mine. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Oh heck, the pretzels are long gone! We generally don't keep any junk food or desserts in the house though, so now that they're gone we can get back to our attempt at a healthy lifestyle! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />

My pretzels were pretty little, too... I found that I couldn't make the peanut butter balls much bigger than marble-size (maybe 3/4" diameter balls?) or the cookies ended up cube-sized rather than flattish.

Next time I'll just use the whole jar of peanut butter & keep going until I run out, but we were REALLY pressed for time so I had to just make enough to take to the party.

Also didn't have time to look up pictures of them to see what they're SUPPOSED to look like, as they're no longer on the first page of the blog where they appeared in the original post. Now that I think of it, there wasn't all that much chocolate left over either, and I used a BIG bag... probably because I made so many in the one batch!

I also had to add a TREMENDOUS amount of both sugars to make it dry enough to handle. Maybe because it was so humid out, like when I bake bread & have to add so much more flour.

Now that I'm thinking about them I'm craving more of them!

Thanks again for (re)posting!!

What kind of pretzels did you use? The recipe calls for the square ones. And I never have any problem with having to add more sugars. Periwinkle says she does. Not sure what the difference is.

I had the square ones... they're about an inch or 1 1/4" across.

I saw that Periwinkle said she had to add an extra half-cup of each & I was shocked! Until I started mixing it in. I kept adding a little at a time, then ended up just pouring the powdered sugar from the bag into the mixing bowl until the texture was right!

My guess is that the type/brand of peanut butter greatly affects the amount of sugar you need to add, because some are drier or oilier than others. I used Planter's... maybe it's just a very moist peanut butter. I rarely eat it so I have no basis for comparison!

In looking for pictures of them, I've seen ones that were cubical in shape, ones that were completely covered like petit-fours (and flat-looking), and ones that were balls! (peanut butter balls rolled in crushed pretzels, then covered in chocolate) So I guess anything goes!

Man, I'm hungry! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I usually buy generic peanut butter of some sort, so maybe that's the difference, I don't know. Eric eats peanut butter a lot. About once every six months, I get a craving for it and have some, but not otherwise. It's just not a taste I enjoy, most of the time.

Can't go wrong with Contessa's Rum Cake!
It's a REAL CROWD PLEASER! and sooo easy to mkke!

OMG, that sounds fabulous!

I should have posted this earlier <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> as it's simply outstanding. I don't remember where I got the recipe but quickly changed the name to our villa's name since everyone that tasted it wanted the recipe. It's a little different as you make it basically on the stove top and then bake it. Try it! It's a major chocolate fix!


SPYGLASS VILLA FUDGE CAKE

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

For icing:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
3/8 cup milk (just a little under 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 (1 lb.) box powdered sugar
1 cup nuts of your choice (whole or chopped)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preliminaries: Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter 9" X 13" baking pan.
Prepare cake: Place 1/2 cup cocoa powder in large saucepan; gradually stir in 1 cup water; bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add butter and allow to melt; set aside.
Sift together into a bowl, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; add to hot mixture. Lightly beat eggs and add them to mixture along with sour cream and vanilla; stir to thoroughly combine.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until cake feels firm in center.
Meanwhile, while cake is baking, prepare icing: In medium saucepan, combine butter or margarine, milk and cocoa; bring to boil. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add nuts and stir until coated. Spread over hot cake. Cool before cutting.

WOW!!! 4 sticks of butter, 2 POUNDS of sugar, 3 eggs, sour cream, milk... No WONDER everyone loves it! It sounds like heaven in a 9x13 pan.

Not sure I could get past the guilt of enjoying it, but MAN, that sounds amazing!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Now I don't feel so bad about posting The Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe- <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> They are sooooo oooooey goooey goodey!

This is the basic recipe... feel free to design your own or follow some of the variations at the end of the recipe...

Cake
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Filling
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.
Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way-even for piggies like me!

Pumpkin Gooey: This variation has to be at the top of my list, especially around Thanksgiving. For the cake part, I sometimes use a spice cake mix. I have even used a chocolate cake mix, but I think my favorite is the basic yellow cake mix. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual, remove from oven, and allow to cool. Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. I promise you'll never want pumpkin pie again!

Pineapple Gooey: Add a 20-ounce can of drained crushed pineapple and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Lemon Gooey: Use a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake. Add the juice (approximately 1/4 cup) and zest of 2 lemons to the cream cheese filling. Proceed: as directed above.

Carrot Cake Gooey: Use a spice cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to cream cheese filling. You can sprinkle the top of batter with 1 cup chopped peanuts if you like. Proceed as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Gooey: Use either yellow or chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Nutty Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts to the cake mixture. Proceed as directed above.

Chippy Gooey: Stir 1 cup white chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, Heath Almond Toffee Bits or Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits into filling. Proceed as directed above

My TRIPLE CHOOCOLATE VERSION

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus 8 more tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus additional butter, for greasing pan
1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 egg, plus 2 eggs
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons good cocoa powder
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate morsels (hand mix into the prepared batter)

Here's a lighter idea <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Make ahead Light Cake (sounds like a Trifle to me)
This is a light easy to make cake that everyone seems to love, but you need to make it the day before you want to serve it.

Ingredients-
1 store bought angel food cake
2 boxes raspberry Jello (sugar free is fine)
1 can mandarin orange slices drained reserve juice
1 large can cling peaches drained reserve juice
4-5 ripe bananas
2 boxes instant vanilla pudding (sugar-free is fine)
2 cups milk (fat free is fine)
1 large can crushed pineapple drained
1 container cool whip regular size (low-fat is fine)

Directions-
Cut the angel food cake into pieces and put in the bottom of a 9X13 pyrex.
Boil 1 cup of water and dissolve the Jello. Add 1 ½ cups of the juice from the peaches and oranges, add water if necessary so that you have 1 ½ cups liquid.
Pour into Jello and stir well then pour over cake and place in fridge. Allow to set at least 1 hour. After the Jello is set, slice the bananas lengthwise and place on the cake.
Top with sliced peaches.
Prepare the two boxes instant pudding with 2 cups milk total. You want it thick. Spoon over peaches and smooth to cover. Sprinkle with crushed pineapple top with the cool whip.
Decorate with the mandarin orange slices.
Refrigerate.

person whose recipe this is said, "I have made this cake with all fat free milk pudding, sugar free Jello and cool whip and it still is wonderful."

Now that sounds good!

Thank you for this website link! It is awesome!!!
Trish