Desserts 4 Today

Valentine's Day is the sweetest day on Earth, every February 14th gifts are exchanged between lovers. The sweetest gift you can give is a homemade gift, and what better then homemade desserts. Who doesn't love chocolate so here is a list of easy chocolate Valentine's Day desserts. Chocolate dipped strawberries are a favorite for Valentine's Day and they are easy to make and will look so impressive.

Ingredients

Confection

• 1 3/4 to 2 cups (11.5- to 12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate, Milk Chocolate or White Morsels

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

• 36 Strawberries Directions LINE baking sheet with wax paper.

MICROWAVE morsels and vegetable shortening in uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until melted; cool slightly.

DIP strawberries about halfway into melted morsels; shake off excess. Place on prepared baking sheet; refrigerate until set.

For a Decorative touch:

MICROWAVE 1/2 cup White or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels or Baking Bars, in small, plastic bag on MEDIUM-HIGH for 1 minute; knead until smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to drizzle over strawberries. Refrigerate until set.

You can use many other kinds of fruit such as orange segments, apple slices, or banana slices. To package your gift try looking for inexpensive tins or heart shaped boxes at your local craft store. If you are looking for an interactive dessert you may want to try chocolate fondue. This is another easy yet impressive treat.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 Dark Chocolate baking bars (8 oz.) finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (optional) or orange juice

• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

• Items for dipping: Marshmallows, fresh fruit (strawberries, orange segments, kiwi, melon and / or banana), cake cubes, pretzels, potato chips

Directions HEAT cream in small, saucepan over low heat; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Add liqueur or orange juice and orange peel; mix well.

TRANSFER fondue to fondue pot; place over low heat

Skewer items for dipping and enjoy

If you are not into making your own desserts but want the feel of homemade there are many companies online that offer homemade fudge, chocolate dipped strawberries, chocolate dipped pretzels among other confection for delivery. You can purchase these items and add your own touches to them like a handmade card or repackaging them into a box that you made with a picture of the two of you one it. Have fun with it and be creative.

Looking to find the best deal on homemade fudge, then visit 84 fudge to find deals on fudge gift baskets for you.

The history of pie is rich in flavor. Pies have been around for thousands of years, we know this, since the ancient Egyptians kept records of their practices and pie is included there, along with all the mysteries and charm of those long ago days. The Egyptians would fill their pies with such ingredients as honey, fruit and nuts. The visitors to Egypt learned as many of their secrets as possible. The ancient Greeks liked the idea of pie and took the recipes home with them, then surrendered the recipes to the Romans, who thought so much of pie as to make offerings of pie to their deities. Since then the rich history of pie has grown while traveling to many different lands, many people enjoy pie.

Did you know that pie was originally a simple cooking and serving container fashioned of dough for containing and cooking the enclosed ingredient as well as their juices? When a pie had a crust, it was at that time known as a coffin, although pies with no crust were at that time known as traps. Large, short-sided pies are tarts and very small pies are tartlets. When someone made a pie of some type of bird, he or she would leave the legs of the bird outside the edge of the pie and used the legs for handles.

Desserts

Pies at that time had a very hard crust and were very often to hard to be eaten, since the crust of the pie was used mainly for baking the pie as there were no pie pans back then. Think primitive pottery here, at times it was also known as bulletproof dough. Because of this quality, between the 13th and 16th centuries, many pies held live birds, frogs and other small creatures, even dwarfs and sometimes a small orchestra. These were contained inside the pie to emerge to enliven royal feasts with entertainment.

Pies made their way to England and soon showed up in America with the first colonial settlers, them bringing along cottage and shepherds pie. From the American natives, the pilgrims learned the many healthy fruits and berries. Women at that time conserved their rations by making round pies and shallow pies. During the 1700s, pie first saw one of its best celebrating moments while gaining popularity in many homes, picnics and fairs. Many people have enjoyed pie eating contests or pie throwing games. Pies and their recipes have traveled a very long way from where they began to this present day.

As pie has moved along through the years, it has been adapted to fit into every culture it has touched. We enjoy pie today made of many different ingredients, such as meats of beasts, fowl and fish, vegetables, berries, fruits and nuts as well as cheese, custards and creams of many flavors. Many generations have seen the passing down of family pie recipes and many are still secret today. An assortment of many different sweet and savory seasonings and ingredients are included in pies. The smell of a pie baking can bring back fond memories of family and friends as well as build new ones. In homes the world over, someone will be baking a pie, while someone is savoring the wonderful aromas that make home so sweet. Everyone should enjoy some pie every day.

For some delicious homemade pie recipes visit http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/pierecipes.htm and make a pie or crisp the hillbilly housewife way.

Although the words diet and dessert aren't typically the best partners, it is possible to enjoy some sweet treats while sticking to a candida diet. It is true that sugar and white flour are still foods to avoid, but there are carefully crafted candida dessert recipes designed to keep your body on track, fighting off candida overgrowth.

Studies have shown that people tend to fail on overly restrictive diets because they cannot stick to the plans long term. It may be possible to muster up the will power to succeed for a couple of weeks or even a couple of months, but soon the cravings start calling and it is important to have healthy alternatives to satisfy your desire.

Desserts

However, the fact remains that sugar and white flour feed candida overgrowth. Even in small amounts of foods containing these items can trigger symptom flare-ups and make life miserable, making a sugar splurge hardly worth it.

The great thing is that once you start cutting back on processed foods, refined carbohydrates and excess sugars, your intense cravings for these foods will subside. Yet it may be unlikely that you will never desire another dessert again. After all, something sweet is an excellent end to a delicious meal and a perfect pairing to a cup of gourmet coffee or tea.

The key to sticking with a candida diet while enjoying dessert is to find recipes that do not promote candida growth. Many people have had success utilizing artificial sweeteners to get their sweet fix without ingesting sugar. However, certain sweeteners have earned a bad reputation and can cause side effects or even illness.

One sweetener that seems to stand above the rest in that it cooks and bakes well and does not appear to cause the same reaction as other artificial sweeteners is Stevia. This plant-derived extract has nearly 300 times the sweetness of sugar, so a little goes a long way. Stevia is popular now, because not only does it not spike blood glucose but also medical studies have shown it may treat conditions like obesity and high blood pressure.

So Stevia may be a way to have something sweet without feeding the candida like sugar does. Using it as an additive to shakes, puddings and cheesecakes, means you can experience real dessert while sticking to your candida diet plan.

Below are some dessert ideas to get you started:

Crustless Peanut Butter Pie

Combine equal parts of sugar-free natural peanut butter and cream cheese and then mix in whipped heavy whipping cream to provide a lighter texture. Sweeten with Stevia to taste. Pour into a pie pan or bowl and refrigerate until chilled.

Frozen Chocolate Pudding Dessert

Mix a package of sugar-free instant chocolate pudding (4-serving size), 1.5 cups milk, and 1 cup whipping cream. Add a small amount of stevia to taste. Pour into a pan, cover and freeze for at least four hours. Remove from freezer approximately 1 hour prior to serving.

Berries and Cream

Select fresh or frozen berries and pour heavy whipping cream on top. Add a small amount of Stevia and vanilla extract to taste. If the berries are frozen the whipping cream will freeze, creating a delicious, ice cream-like dessert.

Just because you are living with a candida condition does not mean you can't enjoy a dessert from time to time. Treat yourself on special occasions and when a major craving calls and you will be less likely to binge on damaging processed, sugary desserts.

To learn more about candida diet, candida desserts and candida recipes, visit Candida Solutions.