Parmesan Orzo

This recipe from How Sweet Eats is extremely quick to put together, about 20 minutes. It's delicious the first time around and elevates a meal to amazing. Any leftovers can be reheated with a bit of heavy cream, and it's great with roasted vegetables mixed in to make a meal out of leftovers. 

I used a mix of Italian cheeses with some goat cheese as well. My husband would have protested if I used Parmesan ... if he realized it.

Parmesan Orzo

3 Tbsp. butter

16 oz. orzo

32 oz. chicken stock

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 chopped herbs or 1 Tbsp. mixed dried herbs

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the orzo, and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, to toast the orzo. Pour in the stock, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer and cover. Simmer for 12 to 15 minute, stirring once or twice to prevent the orzo from sticking, until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the cheese and herbs. Serves at least 6. 

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

I don't care if you make this cake from Love and Olive Oil. I mean, it's a good cake, moist and delicious. But if you make this frosting, please invite me to come visit. I want to make this frosting again just to eat with everything. It's rich, delicious and just the right amount of tang to make me want to eat the frosting off a spoon.

The frosting is where it's at. But the frosting is a soft frosting, so it's not going to give you beautiful swirls on cupcakes. It's also probably going to be a bit slippery if you try to stack cakes. So make some type of snack cake - or this cake is delicious - and slather it with this frosting.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

110 g. flour

175 g. sugar

45 g. Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

80 g. sour cream

56 g. vegetable oil

1 large egg, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

100 ml hot water

Frosting

80 g. heavy cream

56 g. butter

56 g. dark chocolate, chopped

100 g. sugar

30 g. Dutch-process cocoa powder

80 g. sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter or grease the sides of an 8-inch round pan, and line with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla until evenly incorporated. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Pour in hot water, and stir until smooth. Spread batter into pan, and smooth. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until cake is done. Remove from oven, and cool on wire rack until pan is cool enough to touch. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely. 

To make the frosting, melt butter and cream together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in chopped chocolate. Stir until completely melted. Add in sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk until mixed, and then whisk in sour cream and vanilla until smooth and shiny. Set aside, and let cool until slightly thickened and spreadable, about 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it's the consistency of peanut butter, spread onto the cake. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but serve at room temperature. 

Note: For a darker cake, use 1/3 dark cocoa powder in both the cake and the frosting. 

Sugar Cookie Mocktails

This recipe from Orchids and Sweet Tea was an instant favorite with my children, and I can understand why. It's definitely a sweet treat, worthy of being dessert to cap off a meal, and it does indeed taste like a sugar cookie cocktail. 

Sugar Cookie Mocktail

2 cups almond milk, room temp (or any milk)

1 tsp. powdered sugar

2 tsp. agave

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup sweetened condensed canned milk

2 tsp. cinnamon sugar spice blend (can use simply cinnamon and sugar blend)

Whisk together ingredients, and pour over crushed ice in glasses. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles if desired. Makes 1 mocktail.