Award Winning Dessert Nachos

This Just In:

My recipe for "Lemon Raspberry Dessert Nachos" won in one of the categroies of the 2008 Cooking Light magazine "Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest." Yay!!!

The recipe will be published in January 2009 Cooking Light Magazine!!
But, I'm so excited, I couldn't wait to share the joy with all you beloved HVK readers. . . so, here, hot off the press, is the recipe:

LEMON RASPBERRY FRUIT NACHOS
Syrup:
2 cups fresh raspberries
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
Topping:
¼ cup purchased lemon curd (such as Dickenson’s)
3 tablespoons water
1 (8-ounce) block low-fat or fat-free cream cheese, softened
2 (6-ounce) bags Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 To prepare syrup, combine 2 cups raspberries, granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to boil; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Strain broth through a colander into a bowl; discard solids. Add lemon juice and salt to bowl; cover and chill.

2 To prepare topping, combine curd, 3 tablespoons water, and cream cheese in a bowl; stir until smooth. Arrange pita chips in a single layer on a serving platter; drizzle cream cheese mixture evenly over chips. Top with 2 cups fresh raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries; drizzle with syrup. Sift powdered sugar over top. Serve immediately. Yield: 9 servings

(Note: Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar pita chips can be purchased at most health food stores, such as The Good Earth.)

Things to eat before you die

Ok, I admit it. I was really bored in court one day waiting for a case to get called, so I started making my "100 things to eat before you die list." Yes, pathetic, I know.
For those kindred spirits who daydream about food, here's my list so far. Let me know what I have missed*

Abelskivers
Massaman curry
Apricot Pineapple Jam
Fresh basil leaves
Big Hunk Candy Bars
Blueberry Cobbler
Boiled peanuts
Cap’n Crunch Cereal
Roasted salted cashews
Sour Cherry Pie
S’mores
Chile Rellenos
Coca Cola, and its (almost) clone Diet Coca Cola
Corn Flakes
Lefse with butter and sugar
Hummus with pita chips
Crème brule
Chorizo – hot Mexican style
Duck a la Orange
Hershey’s kisses
Rice crispy bars
Elotes – Roasted corn with mayo and queso fresco
Feta Cheese
Ripe cantalope
Gyros sandwiches
California Figs
Fried Bologna Sandwiches with mustard
McDonald’s French Fries
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Seafood Gumbo
Grilled cheese sandwiches
El Charro Carne Seca
El Charro anything
Toasted Hazelnuts
Heinz Ketchup
Fresh Huckleberries
Homemade Baked Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Slow Simmered Spaghetti sauce
Snickers bars
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Sticky rice with peanut sauce dip
Roasted elephant garlic on bruschetta
Baklava
Moon Pies
Strawberry banana jello
Vine ripened tomatoes
Life cereal
Grape Nuts Cereal
Steak with A-1 sauce
Marionberry jam
Strawberry shortcake
Costco Chocolate muffins
Cheerios with milk and sugar
Baskin Robbins Rocky Road ice cream
Utah Peaches
Irish Oatmeal
Cheese Crisps
Pork chile verde
Homemade salsa
Jiff Extra Crunchy Peanut butter
Lion House Rolls
Hawaiian shaved ice
Pepperoni pizza
Hot tuna sandwiches
Four cheese ravioli
BBQ baby back ribs
Red Velvet cake
Seared scallops
Waffles with butter and maple syrup
Phad Thai Noodles
Hershey’s syrup chocolate milkshake
Strawberries dipped in sour cream and rolled in brown sugar
Triscut crackers
Crunchy Cheetos
Prickly pear jelly
Pecan Pie
Mo’s clam chowder
Proscuitto
Tillamook cheddar cheese
Homemade pasta

*Subject to frequent change without notice.

Call for recipes!!

I am insane, I admit it. I am taking on several projects, and welcome your input.

I am working on collecting new recipes for two projects:

Toaster Oven Recipes for "101 Things to do with a Toaster Oven" and

Dollar stretching recipes for a food blog I am planning to start (as yet unnamed), and possibly another cookbook.

All you awesome cooks out there - send me your best cheapie recipes, and I will: a) Acknowledge you in the book(s) and b) Love you forever!

Send Me Recipes!!!

I have agreed to take on two new cookbook projects:

-- 101 Things to do with a Toaster Oven

-- 100 entrees for under $5.00 ( NOT part of the 101 series)

I know. I KNOW. I am INSANE for taking on two more cookbook projects when I just finished the quesadilla book and have finally had a little bit of freedom from my self-imposed kitchen slavery.

But, as always, I love a good challenge, especially when it involves new culinary frontiers. Boldly going where no home chef has gone before . . .

So, here's where you all come in.

Send me your best budget entrees and/or toaster oven delights and I will a) acknowledge your culinary genius in the foreward of the books, and b) love you forever.

Oh, and BTW, please stop by "Donna's Test Kitchen" any given Sunday for free taste testing.

Miss Lily @ 5 months

I will pay $1 million to anyone who can find a cuter baby anywhere. Not that I'm biased or anything, but Miss Lily - you are a beauty!

Digital Cameras up for Grabs

To beloved family and friends and readers of our HVK blog:

Jake came home from England this summer and was cleaning out his suitcase and found TWO identical digital cameras stuffed into the front pocket of his suitcase. We have waited for a month or so for him to ask around of the others students to see if anyone is missing a camera, and we haven't found the owner(s). I am thinking someone at an airport mistook Jake's generic looking bag for theirs and stuffed cameras into his bag in a hurry accidentally, or something. Anyway, we now have two digital cameras that we don't need.

I am not a very savvy person when it comes to things like cameras (or anything made of metal or plastic, actually . . . kitchen equpiment excepted), so I don';t know if these are expensive cameras, but they appear to be very adequate and new. They are missing their memory cards, so you'd have to invest a few dollars into buying one of those, but otherwise, these should work like a charm.

I would be happy to turn the camera(s) over to anyone in need. Maybe the Morgan or Hicks kids are in need of a camera to cut their photographic teeth on?

If you are interested, let me know!!!! I'll even pay the postage!

-- Domestic Diva Donna
(801) 722-4761 cell