Jersey, Babayy: Sweetness and Delight!

Caroline Veazie
Gamma Chi

HOORAY, LENT IS OVER! Now, I’m not Catholic, but I always participate in Lent because I feel that it is a good test of ourselves, plus sometimes it starts good habits! Now normally, I give up soda or fast food, which are SUPER difficult. But this year I decided to go big and give up… sweets.

If you know me, you know that I am a sweet FREAK. Anything and everything sweet, I love it. Cake, candy, cookies… I honestly have to have something sweet after every meal to get the gross taste of “normal food” out of my mouth. My true downfall, though, is cupcakes. I frequent The Cup on Kingston (if you haven’t been there, GO! Amazing cupcakes) way too often.

Also, my stepdad got me and my sister each a cupcake maker for Christmas. I can basically describe it as a mix between an Easy Bake Oven and a waffle iron. I’m not sure where in life I would be without it. It makes the most perfect cupcakes! Six cupcakes in 10 minutes, baked to perfection.

So, to say that giving up ALL sweets for 46 days was a challenge is kind of an understatement. Ugh, how bad were my cravings! So bad that I definitely was not the best Lent participant I could have been. There were definitely some days that I broke down and had a lil somethin’ somethin’.

But, now that I can officially eat sweets again, here are the three recipies that I have been DYING to try! Plus all of these are “no bake” or “baking free” a.k.a. super easy :) Happy eating!

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients: 2 cups sugar, 1 stick butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, ½ cup milk, ½ cup crunchy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 cups oatmeal (not instant)

Directions: Mix sugar, butter, cocoa and milk in a pot/pan and boil for a minute. Mix in vanilla and peanut butter, mixing until the peanut butter blends. Then mix in oatmeal. Plop onto foil/parchment paper and let them sit and cool.

Source: http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2010/09/summer-and-autumn.html

Banana Toffee Pie

Ingredients: 3 bananas, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 package of ready-made graham cracker crust, whipped cream

Directions: Cover and boil unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of water for 2.5 hours (this makes toffee!). Smooth graham cracker crust into a pie pan, then bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cut up the bananas into slices and put them on the cooled crust. Mix the toffee you made previously until smooth, then pour on bananas and add whipped cream on top!

Source: http://inspire-keri.blogspot.com/2011/06/recipe-tuesday-banoffee-danger-pie.html

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Ingredients: 12 Oreos, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 package of cream cheese, 2/3 cup of Nutella, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tub of frozen whipped topping, 1 bar of chocolate

Directions: Crush the Oreos into crumbs and mix them with melted butter. Put this mixture into the bottom of small bowls you’ll be serving the dessert out of. Mix the cream cheese and Nutella (this recipe says with an electric mixer) and add vanilla. Fold in the whipped topping until there are no streaks. Spoon the mixture into the bowls with the “crust”. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours before you want to serve them. Once you take them out to serve, shave the chocolate bar and garnish the dessert.

Source: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/no-bake-nutella-cheesecake-recipe/

Caroline is a junior studying advertising. You may contact her at cveazie@utk.edu.