This is one of the fastest and easiest dessert recipes around which will still make you look like a culinary genius. Just 5 minutes of prep time!

The Basic Recipe:

1. Cut a melon in half

2. Scoop out the seeds

3. Fill the melon “bowl” with a white dessert wine

4. Serve with a spoon

What sweet wine should you use? I would recommend an Austrian Beerenauslese or Eiswein (Ice Wine). You want to use something of quality, but there’s no need to spend a fortune on the dessert wine.

Here are a few more tips to make this recipe even better, or a bit fancier:

-Use a very ripe cantaloupe as the melon

-Chill the melon in the refrigerator for a few hours or more before making the dessert & serving

-Use a melon baller, and then put the perfectly shaped melon balls back into the cantaloupe shell and pour the dessert wine over.

-For smaller portions: cut the melon halves down into smaller “bowls”. Cut the extra melon into small pieces and place those into the bowl. This method also uses less dessert wine per serving.

-Use a melon-baller, and then put the melon balls into a fancy dish and serve that way.

-Another melon-baller idea: freeze the melon balls and then put them in either the rustic melon bowl or other serving dish.

-Serve your Melon KISS with some good vanilla ice cream on the side.

You can find many Austrian dessert wines by doing a simple search on Google, but here are some dessert wines that are great values that I would particularly recommend for this recipe:

Gsellmann & Gsellmann Beerenauslese 2001. It comes in a 500ml bottle, which is a bit more than the usual half-bottle size, so it will go further.

Gsellmann & Gsellmann Eiswein 2001. The Scheurebe grape used to make this Icewine might just be the perfect partner for the melon flavors.

Heiss Blaufränkisch Eiswein 2002. This is an Icewine made from the red Blaufränkisch grape. It’s a bit more expensive than the other wines mentioned, but a really interesting choice.

Weiss Grüner Veltliner Eiswein 1999. At just $18.99 for a half-bottle, this is one of the best-priced, good quality true Icewines available, period.

Enjoy!

Everyone has their favorite dessert but often forgets about the quick and easy spreads like Strawberry Shortcake, which can help to lift the stresses of planning a party. Keeping in mind that time is of the essence, finding an old time favorite that can not only entertain your guests and satisfy their taste buds but also give you a spare moment to catch your breathe will offer itself as a great option to the fast and frenzied look of the last minute chef. Following these simple instructions should leave you with some time to relax and enjoy some socialization with your friends.

When gathering ingredients for your Strawberry Shortcake, remember what you will need to make this dessert as hands-free for as possible. Dessert plates and disposable silverware are a must and usually are very affordable. Consider the option of having your guests prepare their own dessert so that all you need to do is display the items on a table for them to assemble. Do remember that if you have ever been at a party where you assembled your own dessert, when it came time to apply the fruit or sweet stuff that fewer reservations were taken than if the hostess had pre-made them. With that, do purchase extra ingredients so that you don’t run out. Starting from the bottom up the ingredients are as follows:

Biscuits or Angel Food Cake (sliced into stackable halves)

Fresh fruit (strawberries or cherries) or frozen strawberries or cherries (thawed)

Cool Whip

With a grocery list like this, you can’t go wrong in buying extra. This very simple dessert is not only a pleasure to eat but to make as well. I would also venture to guess that your guests most likely haven’t had this dessert for a while and will appreciate the reminder of such a simple pleasure.

If you decide to pre make this dish, be sure that it isn’t done too soon before the party to avoid a soggy biscuit. Other than that, these are very simple and tine efficient little treats to prepare in bulk. Happy guests, happy host, happy wallet and extra time to gab. You simply can’t go wrong.

We all have our favorite recipes that we serve year after year – our tried
and true favorites. This recipe for Pumpkin Dessert Squares just might
become one of yours. It’s the perfect dessert for fall because it’s simple
to make, serves a crowd, and comes out of the pan smoothly in neat
pieces that are impressive to set before your guests at the dinner table.

PUMPKIN DESSERT SQUARES

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 egg

2/3 c. milk

2 eggs

1 large can pumpkin (for pumpkin pie)

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. butter

Grease bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Set aside 1 cup of the yellow cake
mix.

For the crust: Combine the remaining cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter
and 1 egg. Press into pan.

For the filling: Combine canned pumpkin, 2 eggs and milk; stir until
smooth. Pour over crust.

For topping: Combine reserved cake mix, sugar, cinnamon and 1/4 cup
of butter. Sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted near
center comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping.

When you want to make something a bit more surprising than the
traditional pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or Christmas, these dessert
squares are a delicious and unexpected alternative.