Brownie Macaroon Pie
February 22, 2012
Take already scrumptious brownies to the next level with this decadent recipe from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
Three little words. Ooey. Gooey. Delicious.
INGREDIENTS
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup sugar
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2-2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla and add to chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pie plate.
3. Combine sweetened condensed milk and coconut. Spoon over chocolate mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until center is firm but still a little moist. Cool completely on wire rack.
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Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage, Walnuts & Balsamic Drizzle
February 16, 2012
Turn wonton wrappers into fancy ravioli with this easy recipe
from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
Simple, affordable ingredients combine to make a sophisticated dish that’s perfect for entertaining.
INGREDIENTS
For the Ravioli:
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
18 wonton wrappers
For the Drizzle:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 bay leaf
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves
DIRECTIONS
1. With a fork, mash together the pumpkin puree, Parmesan, lemon zest, sugar, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Working in small batches, arrange wonton wrappers on a work surface. Brush edges lightly with water. Place 1 teaspoon filling on half; fold other half over, gently pressing edges to seal.
2. Combine the vinegar, honey and bay leaf in a small sauce pan and boil over medium heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Cover to keep warm
3. Boil ravioli in salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and walnuts and cook until nuts are toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the ravioli, along with a splash of the cooking water to the skillet and toss to coat.
4. Divide ravioli among plates and drizzle with the balsamic syrup. Add more grated Parmesan, if desired.
Our new “Light Refreshments” gift basket is designed to satisfy.
Click here for details.
Beet Salad with Pistachios and Blue Cheese
January 25, 2012
Make a beet red Valentine’s Day salad with this simply elegant recipe
from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
If everyone feels like my sister does about beets, this post will have the lowest rating on record. But give these beets a try. How bad can they be? They’re covered with nuts and cheese!
Cut the leaves off of fresh beets, but do not peel. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap each beet in foil and roast at 400 degrees until fork tender, about 55 minutes. Let cool slightly, unwrap, rub off skins, and slice into wedges. Toss with crumbled blue cheese, roasted pistachios, fresh thyme leaves and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Click here for details on the kosher Valentine’s Day gift shown below. Click here to see all our Valentine’s Day gifts!
Spiced Cocktail Nuts
January 18, 2012
Make your cheese platter even more irresistible with this easy recipe from
I love to serve these sugared pecans with cheeses. The sweet-salty trend is in full swing as is evidenced by all the sea salt-topped chocolates offered by upscale chocolatiers. However this classic combo has always been the norm here in the south, where something sweet (hot pepper jelly comes to mind) almost always shows up on the hors d’œuvre tray.
INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
3 cups whole pecans
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white and 1 tablespoon water until frothy. Whisk in the sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper (if using). Stir in the pecans and mix until nuts are coated. Spread nuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees, stirring occasionally, until dry and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
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Spinach Salad with Bacon, Lima Beans & Lemon-Soy Vinaigrette
January 11, 2012
Make a pretty first course for your dinner party with this easy recipe from
Everything’s better with bacon, right? Even lima beans. Actually, I happen to love lima beans, but I’ve met folks (mostly Northerners) who are totally skeeved out by them. If you are one of those, substitute any bean you like.
INGREDIENTS
(Makes 4 large servings)
8 cups torn spinach leaves, washed and dry
1 ½ cups frozen lima beans, cooked, and cooled
8 slices crisp, cooked bacon, crumbled
2 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup Lemon-Soy Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
DIRECTIONS
Combine the spinach leaves, lima beans, bacon and scallions in a large bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.
LEMON-SOY VINAIGRETTE
In a small bowl, use a fork to mash 3 cloves of roasted garlic. Add 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting
January 4, 2012
End your diet resolutions in style with this classic pound cake recipe
from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. We were absolutely swamped during the holidays. Hopefully this is a sign that the economy is on the upswing! To thank all of our wonderful customers, we are offering a 20% discount now through January 9. Just enter code THX01 at checkout!
Hope everyone is over the whole New Year’s resolution thing and ready to hunker down and eat some gooooooooood pound cake.
INGREDIENTS
For the frosting:
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
¾ cup sour cream
For the cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 (4-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/8 cups flour
6 tablespoons good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream. Refrigerate, stirring about every 30 minutes, until thick enough to spread. (May take up to 3 hours.)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla.
Add half of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat well. Add the other half and beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Spread top and sides of cooled cake with the prepared frosting.
Too early to start thinking about Valentine’s Day? Of course not! Here’s what we’re working on. Click here for details.
Cheesy Spinach Pie
December 6, 2011
Create a hearty, cheesy pie for winter entertaining with this easy recipe
from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
I have this thing about quiches. I love the idea, but they always taste too egg-y to me. And for good reason. Most have 4 to 6 eggs. Here’s my compromise. It’s a rich, cheesy, not-too-egg-y-tasting savory pie.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 8
Pastry for 1 (9-inch) deep-dish piecrust
½ stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 eggs, plus 1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 lb. cottage cheese
1 cup each shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fit the pastry into a deep dish pie plate, lightly prick the bottom and refrigerate until needed.
- In a large pan, melt the butter and sauté chopped onion until translucent, adding finely minced garlic during the last minute, about 6 minutes total. Mix in the thawed spinach and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Stir in the cooled spinach mixture and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 1 hour. Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
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Ginger-Lime Cranberry Sauce
November 21, 2011
Give your cranberry sauce a little twist with this easy recipe
from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
My gang is pretty traditional when it comes to the Thanksgiving menu. However, I do like to experiment each year with different cranberry sauce combinations. 2011 is the year of limes and fresh ginger.
INGREDIENTS
1 bag (12-ounce) fresh cranberries
¾ cup sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 ½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lime zest
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Pour cranberry sauce into a bowl and refrigerate until serving time. (Can be made up to a week ahead.)
We’re adding holiday gifts to our website every day. Click here for details on the “Glorious Chocolate” hatbox shown below.
How to Make Thanksgiving Cards
November 15, 2011
Switch from Hallmark to handmade with these Thanksgiving
card-making tips from
Everyone loves a homemade card and these couldn’t be easier! Take a spin through a craft supply store, such as Michael’s, and pick up some blank cards and basic supplies. Grab a mug of hot chocolate, put on some tunes, and start creating!
PRESSED LEAF CARD – Gather fall leaves and press between the pages of a book. After a day or two, carefully remove the leaves and glue to the fronts of blank cards with white craft glue.
TURKEY CARD – Trace around and cut out turkey shapes using a cookie cutter as a guide. (Or, use a craft store shape cutter, such as Sizzix.) Glue on colorful feathers, then glue the turkey to the front of a blank card.
GLITTERY RUBBER STAMP CARD – Rubber stamp a leaf onto the front of a blank card. Use a fine line glue pen to highlight some of the veins. Sprinkle on fine glitter; shake off excess.
FOAM STAMP CARD – Buy inexpensive foam stamps and water-soluble paint at a craft store. Fill a saucer with a shallow pool of paint, dip stamp in and gently press onto the front of a blank card.
SKELETON LEAF CARD – Buy a packet of skeleton leaves at a craft store. Glue to the front of a dark colored card.
Our popular “Christmas Tea Party” basket is back. Click here for details!
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
November 10, 2011
Make a festive fall soup in no time with this easy recipe
from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
This spirited soup would make a great first course for Thanksgiving dinner or partner to a turkey sandwich on the day after. As you can see in the photo, I like it very thick… almost like pureed potatoes. If you like it thinner, just add more broth.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds sweet potatoes, baked
3 scallions, coarsely chopped
1 ¾ cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon curry powder
DIRECTIONS
1. Halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a food processor. Add the scallions and half the broth. Process until smooth.
2. Transfer potato puree, cream, and remaining broth to a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Stir in the curry powder and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with more curry powder and sliced scallions, if desired, and serve hot.
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