The Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert..... SO EASY!!

This is a real find and time saving dessert. All you need is a box of ice cream sandwiches, some whipped cream topping, some fudge sauce or caramel sauce and some crumbled up candy bar pieces like toffee bars or peanut butter and chocolate cups or even just simple chocolate chips!

Get a large bowl (like a trifle bowl) and layer it with ice cream sandwiches on the bottom, then add a layer of whipped topping and some sauce with a little sprinkle of the candy or chips and repeat the layers. At the top just add some more whipped cream and candy sprinkles. Top with a cherry! Freeze until ready to eat or dig in everybody!!!

Frozen Hot Chocolate from Paula Deen for summer! Stay Cool with Chocolate!

Paula's Party is one of my favorite shows on the Food Network. The celebrities that Paula has on the show cook up some of their favorite recipes! I also love to see the ones who don't cook try to help Paula in the kitchen. Here is a delicious chocolate recipe that is sure to keep you cool in the heated summer months ahead! Enjoy!!!

3 ounces best-quality chocolate (or a variety of your favorites)

2 teaspoons store bought hot chocolate mix (recommended: Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate Mix)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 cups milk

3 cups ice Whipped cream, for garnish

Chocolate shavings, for garnish
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a small heavy saucepan or in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar, stirring constantly until blended.
Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
In a blender, place the remaining 1 cup of milk, the chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cram and chocolate shavings!!! Fun!

 

Easter Idea with Chocolate of course! Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bird Nests

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Bird Nests
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 bag (12 oz.) milk chocolate chips
1 bag (6 or 7 oz.) thin pretzel sticks - broken into short pieces
Preparation - Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the pretzel sticks. Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoons full onto a waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Use the bottom of a tablespoon to make an indentation in the center of each one. Chill until set. After the nests are set, store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to fill. Fill with tiny jelly eggs or other small candies.

Thanks for the ideas from bellaonline. Check out their Easter recipes!
www.bellaonline.com/articles/art9150.asp

Fair Trade Chocolate, Help Spread the Word

Nestle and Mars have been implicated in using child labor for farming cocoa. I would like to say a liitle about this due to the fact that I am a firm believer in using freedom of speech as one of my privileges for living here in the US. Remember when Walmart and the Cathy Lee Gifford story came out? A lot of us applauded her for refusing to put her name on items where she knew children were being exploited. Well people, Nestle and their cocoa farms are doing the same thing but no celebrity rebuttle. Do we have to call Leonardo DeCaprio on this too? This is an exerpt from an article done by www.globalexchange.org on the subject:
"With an annual sales of over $65 billion, Nestle SA is not only one of the world's largest manufacturers of chocolate products but also the third largest exporter of cocoa from regions affected by forced and abusive child labor. Through its subsidiary Nestle Cote d'Ivoire, Nestle maintains distribution, administrative and sales offices throughout the Ivory Coast, even as it claims to have little idea where its cocoa comes from or what the conditions are like on the farms with which it regularly does business."

Corporate-types like Nestle seem to have a way of not knowing what is going on when confronted with their exploitive ways. I hope we all take this into consideration when purchasing one of the most consumed items in America. We should ban this like we have banned conflict-free diamonds coming into the country. Children don't have choices in what they are told to do in these countries and corporations like Nestle should be doing a better job of staying aware and make an effort to change practices that have come to their attention by the public.

To find out more, please visit these sites:

www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/actnow/nestleslavery.html

www.lwr.org/chocolate/index.asp