Chocolate Bliss Bites ~ Easy, Healthy and Scrumptious!

Who ever knew such healthy little bites as these could be so addictive!  Everyone in the family loved them, and I plan on keeping them around to satisfy that chocolate craving whenever it hits (which is often)!

As these chocolate bliss bites are super easy to make with minimal ingredients, you and the kids can have a fun little project together and enjoy something sweet without guilt!

                                                 So Addictive...

                                    You'd Never Guess They're Healthy!

Dark Chocolate-Coated Peanut Butter Crunchy Bonbons

If it seems that I'm on a bite-sized dessert kick, that's because they make such terrific, well-received food gifts.  After the fall and winter holidays, a slew of our family birthdays begin, with our celebrating most of them in March.

I made these fantastic peanut butter bonbons for my peanut butter-loving son-in-law's recent birthday. Crushed graham crackers provide a delightful surprise crunch to the creamy peanut butter center of these decadent dark chocolate-drenched bonbons.  Chocolate and peanut butter...just meant to be! 

                                                   Call Them...

                                                 Irresistible!

Spiked Cherry Cheesecake Bonbons with Dark Morello Cherries and Toasted Pecan Coating

You all know how much my son loves desserts with cherries!  Naturally, I was inspired when I saw Dan at Mantitlement's recipe for Moonshine Cherry Cheesecake Bites.  Using his recipe as a guide, I did my twist on it using amaretto liqueur, firming and making the batter more workable with cake mix (which also added more texture and even more flavor) and completing with a coating of crushed toasted pecans.  I imported the idea of the cake mix from my recipe for Marbled Candy Barks with Cake Batter.  I also substituted the maraschino cherries with dark morello cherries.

We enjoyed these divine coated spiked cherries as a prelude to other desserts at a recent "After-The-Fact" family birthday party, and they were gobbled up in no time!   The party was to celebrate several birthdays for which we'd all been unable to gather at the same time.

I can't give Mantitlement enough accolades!  Dan, in collaboration with his wife Christie, offers such unique recipes with fabulous photos!  Their creations include delicious family-friendly recipes, along with marvelous appetizers and beverages.  Do check them out...you'll love the site!

By the way, accidents sometimes do actually become wonderful creations.  I forgot not to completely cover the cherries with the batter, so I added an uncoated spiked cherry on top of each coated spiked cherry; and Ta-Dah...

                                               A Wow Presentation...

                                      Offering A Little Bit Of Heaven!

Marvelous Bolognese Sauce Made Simply In The Slow Cooker

With this cold and wet winter weather, you want a simple, yet hearty, comforting dish that will satisfy the whole family; or maybe you need a laid-back entree for a group or party.  Relax...you'll have plenty of time to cozy up to that crackling fireplace or enjoy your party with this Marvelous Bolognese Sauce Made Simply In the Slow Cooker!

I prefer the crunch of coarsely chopped carrots and celery in this gratifying sauce; however, you can mince them along with mincing the onion and garlic, if you like.  Also, I chose to make it with ground beef chuck and ground Italian-seasoned turkey sausage, rather than bulk Italian sausage.

Not only will you love this flavorful sauce over your favorite pasta, you'll find it's terrific over meatballs too!  For those times when family members are on different schedules, or for a buffet party, you can just keep it warm in the slow cooker!

                                         Dinner's In The Slow Cooker...

                                               Just Grab a Plate!

Decadent Chocolate-Banana Bonbons with A Variety of Coatings ~ How-To Tips and Tricks!

These decadent chocolate-dipped banana bites with crunchy coatings make a fun treat or a marvelous party bonbon.  I've offered a variety of suggested coatings; however, you can be creative with your own coatings.  My favorite coating, of the ones I've tried, was the crushed cashews!

A recently diagnosed low potassium level prompted me to give it a boost with bananas.  All that other fruit I'd been eating, along with those horse-sized potassium pills, were just not enough!  Since I find eating bananas, outside of baked goods, not very appealing, I thought chocolate-dipped banana slices would be encouraging.  These chocolate-banana bonbons are encouraging all right...but so decadent, I can only eat one or two at a time.  Guess I'll save these as a treat and just eat bananas on my cereal, which is my second choice.

This chocolate-dipping and coating method should work well with whole strawberries also.


                                             Decadent Decisions...

                                      Which One Should I Try First?