Chocolate Eclair Cake

A co-worker recently got promoted and as usual, I brought in a dessert to celebrate!  It happened to be a pretty busy week for me and I wasn't looking forward to rushing through making a fancy layer cake.  I find when I rush it not only takes the fun out of it, but I also tend to make mistakes.  I found this recipe in the Columbus Dispatch Wednesday food section.  I've wanted to try this recipe for a while now and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  I was a little hesitant to bring it in as I was slightly embarrassed how easy it was to make, but everyone LOVED it.  I was shocked how quickly it went and the rave reviews it got!  When you let the dessert sit, the graham crackers soften and combined with the smooth pudding layer and sweet chocolate icing, it's the most perfect combination.  Any pudding flavor could be used, but I liked the vanilla / chocolate combination I used below.  Try this dessert recipe out for your next get together and I guarantee you'll get positive comments on it! 

Chocolate Eclair Cake
Serves 9

34 graham cracker squares (1/2 box)
1 (3.3 ounce) package vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cup milk
1 8-ounce container cool whip, defrosted
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbs butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbs milk
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Take out an 8x8 inch dish. Arrange 1/3 of the graham crackers on the bottom of it. It's okay if you have to break them or overlap them some.  Prepare the pudding by mixing the pudding mix and milk together. Once combined and thickened a bit, fold in the cool whip until combined.

 

Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers (using about 1/3 of them) over the pudding mixture. Top with remaining pudding mixture and final layer of graham crackers.

Make the icing: Melt the chocolate and butter in a small-medium sized microwave safe bowl, in two 30-second intervals.  Stir between intervals.   Stir together the melted chocolate and butter until combined.  Add in remaining icing ingredients: confectioners sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla.  If mixture is too thick, add in an extra splash or two of milk. Spread the icing over graham crackers.  Use an off-set spatula to cover all graham crackers.  Cover and let mixture sit for at least 8 hours or over night.  Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa

Greek Pasta Salad

I'm always trying to think of new ideas for lunches I can take to work.  If I can make it on Sunday and then portion out into 4-5 lunch serving, even better.   Lately, I've really been trying harder to get more vegetables and whole grains into my diet, which is how I came up with this recipe.  The salad dressing is modified from one I found in an old Food Network magazine.  This lunch gets in quite a few servings of vegetables, as well as whole grains from the pasta and healthy oils from the dressing.  It is also very filling and stays with me throughout my work day. 

Greek Pasta Salad
Serves: 5-6

Salad:
6 ounces whole wheat pasta
1 red pepper, diced
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup yellow pepper rings, diced
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1/4 cup dressing, recipe below

Dressing:
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Make dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until combined. 
Store left over dressing in the refrigerator for about a week.

Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Once finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water

Dice the pepper and add to drained garbanzo beans, olives, garlic, yellow pepper, tomatoes and feta cheese in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over mixture and stir to combine.   Add in cooled pasta and stir to combine.  Chop spinach and add to pasta salad.  

*Note: If not eating the pasta salad right away, wait to add the spinach.  Otherwise the spinach will wilt.  For take-to-work lunches, I put some pasta salad at the bottom of a Tupperware container and then put some chopped spinach on top. At lunchtime I can toss the mixture together and spinach doesn't get wilted beforehand by only sitting on top of the pasta.

xoxo Melissa

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Sometimes you just need a little comfort food, even if it is 90 degrees in June.  Macaroni cheese was the perfect thing to fit the craving when my sister and her husband came up for dinner last week.  This recipe comes from The Picky Palate Cookbook. While the cookbook is sort-of geared towards meals you can make for children, I found it to be pretty delicious, without being too decadent as some mac & cheese recipes are.  I made it with unsweetened almond milk, which dramatically reduced the calories and fat.  Using almond milk still created a cheesy and creamy macaroni and cheese and the panko coated top added a nice crunch.  I will definitely keep this recipe in my go-to recipe files.  It's quick, easy, tasty and man approved - what else could you want from a recipe?  

Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Serves 4 (main course servings)

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
6 Tbs butter, divided
3 Tbs. flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking spray

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold water.

Melt 3 Tbs. of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, paprika and pepper.  Stir to combine all ingredients, until it's almost like a paste.

 

 Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until mixture is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.

 

 

Stir in the cheese.

 

 

Once smooth, add in the cooled macaroni. 

 

 

Pour macaroni mixture into the prepared pan. To prepare the topping, melt remaining 3 Tbs. butter in a small dish in the microwave. Once melted, add the bread crumbs and toss to combine. Sprinkle panko over macaroni and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, if you can wait! Enjoy!

xoxo Melissa