Try it Tuesday.....Hockey Dessert Recipes!

You probably have forgotten all about my need for recipes when we were feeding the San Antonio Rampage back in March right? I was begging for dessert ideas because I thought I had to make the one and only dessert for the whole team and their coaches. Well, as it turns out, we had several desserts there..not just mine. Whew. What a load off my mind. I thought I was a goner when thinking they would only have MY desserts to choose from! Beep, beep, back up. In case you forgot, my nephew Michael, is the head athletic trainer for the Rampage and since they were coming to MI to play the Grand Rapids Griffins, he asked us to help with a meal for the whole team and coaches.

Anyway, I ended up making Neiman Marcus Cookies, Peanut Butter Fudge, Baby Food Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting and 2 Texas Sheet Cakes with Hot Fudge Icing. Besides that, there was also Cherry Crisp, Pistachio Salad, Snicker Salad (also called Caramel Apple Salad), German Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie as well as several other things. So do you think these big boys had a lot to choose from? Oh yeah they did. But do you think they actually ate much?! No! I was shocked. Perhaps it was because they had just lost a hard fought game against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Or maybe it was because the season wasn't done and they didn't want to gorge themselves on sweets. I dunno. But one thing I DO know...it wasn't because the desserts SUCKED.....because they totally ROCKED!

I made enough cookies to feed the team about 10 times over, so I shipped the leftovers off with them (after I pried them from my nephew and brother in-laws hands first). I also gave the fudge to a player, only to see them left on the table. Ouch. Maybe those kind of did suck. I also walked out to their big 'ol bus with the steepest stairs imaginable, with 1 of the left over Texas Sheet Cakes. So I'm hoping that some of our hard work paid off when they ate them on the road.

Ok, so who DID eat a ton of desserts?? The tubby old coaches! Ok, they aren't tubby or old. But they could be by the way the enjoyed the desserts! The highlight of my night (besides seeing my much missed nephew) was when I over-heard one coach say how moist and delicious my Baby Food Bars were! Yesssss. Mission accomplished.

Oh, and are professional hockey players from outer space? One guy was really having a hard time opening a jug of milk! He was fumbling with the plastic ring around the cap. Leanne comes along and quickly twists the sucker open for him. There ya go dude. -Smirk-

Ok, I'm rambling aren't I? Sorry. Not only is this a Try It Tuesday post, but it's a journal entry about the meal we provided. My sister (my nephew Michael's Mother) outdid herself. She bought and cooked about 13 pot roasts! She also made the best yeast rolls (about 100 of them or MORE). She worked really hard and I'm proud of her. Her roasts were tender and perfect. With some friends and family help, she also had mashed potatoes and gravy plus veggies etc. It was all a lot of work (mostly for my sister), but I know it was worth it. We all had a good time and loved watching the game and being able to cheer for BOTH teams. I'm sure we will be hosting a dinner for them again next season.

Here are a few pictures of the day, but don't expect much. We took lots, but they accidently got deleted off the memory card. I had to snag these off Facebook. Here are a couple of hopefuls that were on a trial basis for the team. The girls were especially happy to get their pictures taken with them because the player on the right is Justin Kinnunen. He used to play for our local hockey team, The Muskegon Fury. Plus, he is from the upper penninsula of Michigan where my family lives. Surprisingly he had my older brother for his High School art teacher! Small world.

This is just a picture of the scoreboard (is that the right word?) showing the Rampage & the Griffins scores during a break.

This is NOT a Rampage player! We're traitors! lol. We still love the Griffins, but this player especially. This is Justin Abdelkader. He is Macie's science teacher's son. He learned to play in our town at the same rink that Brycen is learning to play in right now, so we are very proud of our local boy. Especially since right now he is playing for the Detroit Red Wings! He was called up to play during the play-offs. Go Red Wings!

Ok, that's all I have to show. Lucky you because it would have bored you to see more pictures.

So are you finally ready for a couple recipes to, "try"? I'll post some of mine (minus the pb fudge) and my nieces recipe for her Snicker salad. By the way, she HAS to make this for every family event or she gets a tongue lashing! It's the best. Not healthy, but nevertheless, the best dessert! She uses a huge bowl. Imagine the biggest bowl that Tupperware has to offer. Even with a bowl that big, there usually isn't too much left over at family events. For THIS event, however, I was able to take some home and savor the flavor the next day. Mmm.

Here is her recipe. (Thanks Michelle for posting this on Facebook for me to snag for my readers)

Snicker Salad/Caramel Apple Salad

5-6 apples (cut into bite sized chunks)
5-6 Snickers full-sized candy bars
1 lrg. pkg. dry vanilla pudding mix
1 lrg. tub Cool Whip, thawed

Chop up the 5-6 apples into bite size chunks. My sister likes to do red and green apples at Christmas. Cut up 5-6 Snickers full-size candy bars into bite sized chunks. The cutting will take longer than you think! Add the large package of dry vanilla pudding mix to a large tub of thawed Cool Whip topping. Don't make the pudding, just dump it in and stir it well. (...some people I've talked to make the pudding, but Christi's mom-in-law told me specifically not to!) Then you fold in the apples and chunks of Snickers. Chill and serve. Refrigerate any left overs - not likely there will be any though!
Note: this recipe will not make enough to fill the big Tupperware bowl, but it's still a lot of salad.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

(You know this recipe....it's from the urban legend story about the lady who was forced to pay $250 for the recipe at the store....this isn't the recipe for the cookies that the store actually DOES sell, but it's a darn good recipe regardless....read the silly fabricated story here.)

(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips ( I use Ghirardelli!)
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies

Leanne's Notes: I do not use the nuts because my hubby is slightly allergic. They are fine without them. DO NOT and I mean it...DO NOT forget to blend the oatmeal to a fine powder! This is the ingredient that makes this cookie fabulous! I tend to keep blended oatmeal in my pantry at all times to add to any chocolate chip cookie recipe. Also, you can do it without the Hershey bar if you want. Sometimes I use it, some times I leave it out. They are still delicious.

Baby Food Cake

I was given this recipe a billion years ago from my sister in-law. It's always moist and the cream cheese frosting makes it especially delish.



Grease and dust with flour, a jelly roll pan or use half of the following ingredients for 13x9 pan.

Combine & beat:
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. oil

Sift & add:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Add 1 medium jar of strained carrots, applesauce & apricots.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes using the toothpick method to check for doneness.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!



Texas Sheet Cake
This recipe is lightened up a bit. I found in the Cooking Light magazine, but don't let it fool you. It's still really fattening and high in WW points!

Grease and flour a jelly roll pan. You may also use a 13x9 pan instead. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preparation:

Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add to flour mixture. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 22-27 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.

Hot Fudge Icing

Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 1/3 c. fat-free milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in 3 c. powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Spread over hot cake. Sprinkle cake with pecans. Cool completely on wire rack.


Leanne's Notes: The cake recipe also calls for 1 tsp. cinnamon, but I don't care for it that way, so I omit it. The pecans are optional for the icing also. I never use them because of my hubby's pesky allergic reaction. Plus, Brycen hates nuts!

Well, if you're still with me, you deserve a medal. This was a looooong post. Sorry! If you are interested in making any of these desserts, please let me know how well you liked them. I promise I will post a much shorter Try It Tuesday next time!