Chocolate Chip Cheese Dip

This is a yummy snack for a party or even if your kids are having a few friends over. My kids and their friends devour it. It is a nice sweet switch from the usual cheese ball. Cream cheese and butter are sweetened and blended with miniature chocolate chips.

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened (not margarine)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Serve with chocolate graham cracker sticks.

Baby It's Cold Outside....

I just checked the weather on weather.com and it is -17 degrees with the wind chill - but hey the sun is out. I found the following recipe for hot cocoa on Allrecipes.com and I am definitely going to make it today.

We had to run out (and I mean run because you don't want to stay still when you step outside today) to take my daughter to a birthday party and my son to a soccer game. Even only being outside from the car to the door chilled me to the bone. This is the kind of weather where you want to sit by the fireplace (except I don't have one - but I can imagine), sip hot cocoa and read a good book under a big comfy blanket.

Okay here's the recipe for the hot cocoa

Creamy Hot Cocoa

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature. Top with whip cream if you like. Enjoy!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

This was a favorite of mine growing up. My mom would always make this when she had her dinner parties and she would always save me some. It is also very easy!!!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert - serves 12

1 box graham crackers
2 small Jello instant "French" vanilla pudding
1 - 9 oz Cool Whip, thawed
Chocolate Icing (See recipe below)

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Made pudding according to package using whole milk only. Line the greased pan with whole graham crackers. Cover with 1/2 of the pudding, add another layer of graham crackers, add the rest of the pudding and then another layer of graham crackers. Spread with chocolate icing and refrigerate to chill. Serve with a dollop of cool whip.

Chocolate Icing

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
2 tsp white Karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tbs milk

Melt chocolate and butter. Add remaining ingredients. If too thick, add more milk in little amounts.

Enjoy - this one won't last long!