Jan D'Atri

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melted butter

Samoa Dessert Lasagne

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Uh Oh. Maybe that’s what I should re-name this dessert… because it’s a bit dangerous.

Or maybe irresistible is a better word. If you love Samoa Girl Scout Cookies, or the combination of caramel, toasted coconut and chocolate, you’re going to love Samoa Dessert Lasagne! I’m not sure how the “lasagna” got in there, but this treat does have layer upon layer of flavor starting with the crispy cookie crust to the drizzle of caramel on top! That cook crust has an American classic cookie as a base, Nilla Wafers! The Nilla’s get ground up and combined with melted butter and toasted coconut to create the perfect firm base for this delicious treat.

A word about the coconut flakes. When you toast the flakes in a hot, dry skillet, keep stirring or the flakes can burn. You’ll want to toast them just to a golden brown, and that’s when the real flavor of coconut comes through!

There are plenty of store-bought caramel sauces on the market. I chose Smucker’s for this recipe, and of course, you can make your own homemade caramel sauce pretty easily with sugar (brown or white), butter and milk or cream.

Finally for the chocolate drizzle on top, melted chocolate chips or a chocolate coating gives this decadent dessert a final touch. Once you try this treat, you’ll know why it’s called Gimme Samoa!

Watch my How to Video for Gimme Samoa Dessert Lasagne here!

Chocolate Fluff

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Whenever I get an email from someone who has a recipe to share, my experience has been that that recipe is pretty darn delicious! If it was a hit in your family, it’s probably going to be a hit in ours. So it was with Jan R. from Mesa. She sent me a recipe for something called Chocolate Fluff, and let me tell you, it’s now on my recipe radar! Simply put, I love it, and I think you will too! Here’s Jan’s story:

“The recipe for Chocolate Fluff goes way back to the1950’s, when I spent my childhood in southeast Iowa. I was the oldest of three sisters, but only two of us had arrived by the Chocolate Fluff time frame. We had big family gatherings for all major holidays. (Of course, I was relegated to the “kids table” until I was about 20 years old!) Mom was the one who introduced Chocolate Fluff to the family. She was an avid recipe clipper for as long as I can remember, so she could have even found it in the newspaper. Mom would make Chocolate Fluff for large family gatherings. Back then, nobody knew about watching your calories or fat intake. It was definitely a special treat—not an everyday dessert. Somewhere along the way, maybe by the time I was in high school, Chocolate Fluff faded away from Mom’s dessert repertoire. My last attempt to make Chocolate Fluff was over 20 years ago. The dessert turned out well and was devoured by family. Like mom, I don’t make many of the recipes I clip, but sometimes I find a really good one.”

Well, Jan, this indeed is a good one! I hope to turn more folks into Chocolate Fluff fanatics!

Watch my How to Video here!

Homemade Biscuits

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Wow. Sometimes I come across a recipe that just knocks my socks off. Who doesn’t love homemade biscuits piping hot right out of the oven? Who doesn’t love a recipe that turns out perfectly every time—using only 4 ingredients? This recipe for 4-Ingredient Homemade Biscuits is now my go-to for a delicious bread to go with biscuits and gravy, soups, chili or simply with melted butter and jam. The recipe consists of only 4 everyday ingredients: Bisquick, sour cream, 7-Up and butter! Generally, I prefer a mixer to hand mixing bread dough, but for this recipe, stirring by hand turns out a much better batter. If you mix these ingredients with an electric mixer, the dough gets too wet and sticky, which makes it difficult to punch out the dough with a cookie cutter. Mixing by hand gives you the perfect consistency. Instead of incorporating the butter into the dough, the butter gets melted and poured into a sheet pan or casserole, and the biscuit dough gets laid right on top of the butter. These delicious nuggets of dough are light, flaky and simply divine! If you’re looking to add one more item to your holiday menu or want to surprise family and guests with a real taste of home, you can’t beat comfort food at its best!

Watch my How To video for Homemade Biscuits here!