If you were to ask my husband what his number one favorite dessert is, this one would be it. It’s actually pretty amazing to me that something so ridiculously sweet can taste so good to me– somebody who doesn’t generally like too-sweet desserts.

But this is heaven. And while I love to have my traditional pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, THIS is the pie that I really look forward to. And my husband, too.

It’s also almost literally the easiest baked pie you’ll ever make. Want to try something a little different for a holiday dessert? You’ll also love this rich and wonderful chocolate pecan pie recipe.

Perfect and Buttery Southern Pecan Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
1 9″ prepared, unbaked pie crust (frozen or homemade)
3 lg. eggs
1/3 C. brown sugar (packed firmly)
1 1/2 tsp. flour
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 C. light corn syrup
1 1/2 C. pecan halves
2 tbsp. melted butter

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Break eggs into a medium mixing bowl. Add sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and corn syrup. Beat together until will mixed.

2. With a wooden spoon, stir in your pecan halves and your melted butter.

3. Pour pecan mixture into your prepared (unbaked) pie crust.

4. Place the pie in the oven and bake 40-50 minutes, until the middle of the pie is golden and a little puffy. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.

A brownie is just about the easiest bar/cookie/cake dessert you can make. But it’s also one of the easiest to get terribly wrong. Most people are very funny about their brownies– a brownie must always be “just so” or it doesn’t even qualify as a brownie.

And I’m no different. As far as I’m concerned, a brownie should be rich, fudgey, dense, ultra-chocolate-y, and not even a tiny bit cakey. In my opinion, if a brownie needs frosting or anything like that, it means you didn’t do it right.

Share my views on the almighty brownie? Then read on for my favorite brownie recipe– the one that gets recipe requests every time I make it. Makes a huge pan of brownies, so cut it in half for a smaller group. Though a small group can eat a whole huge pan, too, in my experience.

Karen’s Perfect Fudgy Brownie Recipe with Walnuts

Ingredients:
10 oz. 85% chocolate, broken into pieces
1 C. butter
1 3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 C. all purpose flour
1 1/3 C. chopped walnuts

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 13×9″ pan with foil (no need to grease it).

In a microwave or a hot water bath, combine chocolate and butter just until melted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in eggs.

Stir in flour until smooth. Don’t over mix. Stir in walnuts.

Dump into your prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until center is just set.

Let cool completely before removing from pan and peeling away the foil. Cut into 32 pieces.

You know how Toblerone candy bars taste pretty close to heaven when you just take a bite out of one cold? Well, imagine that same bar melted down with cream and rum and served with cookies, fruit, and squares of cake. Even more heavenly, right? Right! Well, since I posted another sweet fondue recipe on Thursday (pumpkin pie fondue, which is just wonderful), I thought I’d keep with that and post my favorite chocolate fondue!

While any chocolate fondue is always going to be wonderful, this recipe is really special, as it’s a touch more interesting. It has a bit of texture from the Toblerone, and more flavor than a traditional chocolate fondue recipe. It’s one you’ll make again and again.

Ingredients:
8 oz. Toblerone milk chocolate candy bar, chopped
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 C. light cream (single cream)
2 tbsp. rum

Instructions: 1. Combine all ingredients in a heat-safe bowl. Either cook in a water bath over simmering water, stirring often, until melted, or cook on medium power in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined.

2. Serve in a chocolate fondue pot with your choice of dippers. Then watch your guests eyes light up with delight.

If you have really nice, big scallops, you’ll want to cook them simply and lightly in an oiled saute pan– they’re perfect just as they are. Which means this scallops recipe isn’t for you. But if you have smaller, cheaper scallops (like little frozen bay scallops or something similar) these scallops baked in a creamy sauce and covered in crisp bread crumbs are to die for. Make this baked scallops recipe into a main dish served with a leafy green salad and homemade biscuits or crusty French bread. It really is perfection.

Serve with a nice bottle of Chardonnay or and American Riesling.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh scallops
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 C. chopped mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste– I add more)
1/2 C. Chardonnay
3 C. coarse, fresh bread crumbs
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 C. light cream (or fat free half & half to keep it light)
1 C. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the red pepper, onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in butter until tender. Add wine and let it cook away, about 3-4 minutes. Add vegetables to scallops in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir into veggie/scallop mixture.

Place scallop mixture into a prepared casserole dish. Pour cream over.

Cook 15-20 minutes, til hot and bubbly. Sprinkle cheese over. Return to oven until cheese is melted, about 3-5 minutes.

If you’ve never been to Greece, you’ve been missing out on some of the most wonderful food in the world. Especially if you love fresh and natural ingredients, veggies, and rich flavors, Greek food is some of the best-tasting stuff around. The things those Greeks can do with a salad… well, it can blow your mind!

If you’ve always wanted to make a Greek salad like a real Greek, you’ve come to the right place. The Greek salad recipe below is authentic, simple, fresh, and really delicious. The trick to a really great salad? Be sure to use fresh, in-season veggies and high-quality ingredients.

Now, when I learned how to make a Greek salad, I was taught to use only fresh, chunky veggies and a big slab of feta– no lettuce. Because that’s how they do it in Greece. But if you’d like to add some leafy greens to bulk this salad up, feel free. Arugula is nice, too.

Ingredients:
4 lg tomatoes, in large irregular chunks
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced into rings
1 lg. purple onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. dried oregano (greek is best) (plus extra)
sea salt, to taste
1/4 to 1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb of feta cheese, sliced thick (I use a bit more!)
a handful of Kalamata olives
1-2 tbsp. capers (optional), or
2-3 anchovy filets, chopped (optional)

Instructions: 1. Place tomatoes, cucumber slices, and green pepper in a large salad bowl. Salt lightly.

2. Add onions and mix well. Sprinkle salad mixture with oregano. Add olive oil and toss together lightly.

3. Place slabs of feta on top. Spinkle feta with a bit of extra oregano. Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil.

4. Sprinkle olives around the dish and garnish with anchovies or capers, if desired. Enjoy!