(Almost guilt free) Valentine's Day Desserts

Make me a great dessert and I’ll show you the way to my heart! Here we have a decadent dessert list that will steal your heart, but not your waistline this Valentine’s Day.
Decadent Desserts (that are not so decadent) as featured on E! News.

Two Layer Chocolate Pudding Cake with Zen Soy Pudding Icing
(125 calories per slice or if you use a pudding layer between each cake 135 calories) VS 235 per average chocolate cake with chocolate icing

The SECRET:
There is no dairy in the recipe, this cuts calories. And, we used zen soy pudding to ice and layer the cake.

Ingredients
1 1/2 Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup cold water
6 four packs of ZenSoy Organic Chocolate Pudding for layers and on top of cake.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.__Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8 or 9-inch round or square cake pan. Blend these together thoroughly with a fork and scoop out three holes, or indentations.__Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.__Take the cup of cold water and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until they are well blended.__Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Once cooled, Use 6 four-packs of super-rich, low-fat ZenSoy Organic Chocolate Soy Pudding to create dramatic layers & ice the deceptively sinful cake!



Irresistible Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
200 calories per slice vs range of 257-582 calories for regular cheesecake

The SECRET:
We used Reduced Fat Cream Cheese and Splenda instead of sugar.

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages reduced fat cheese
1 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup reduced fat milk
1/2 cup dulce de leche

Serves: 1 (9 inch) cheesecake
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix crust ingredients together, and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
Reset oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Beat cream cheese, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix until smooth. Add milk and mix until well blended.
Measure _ cup of the cheesecake batter and pour into a small bowl. Add dulce de leche and stir until well combined.
Pour plain batter over crust. Top with dulce de leche batter by placing rounded spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter and gently swirl into plain batter with the tip of knife or spatula.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake (this helps prevent cracking). Let cool 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4- 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Almost No Fat Tiramisu
265 calories per serving vs 602 in a normal tiramisu

The SECRET:
Coffee and Vanilla yogurt are used in place of the traditional recipe's egg yolks.

Ingredients
Coffee Low Fat Yogurt, 8-ounce container
Vanilla Low Fat Yogurt, 8-ounce container
Whipped Cream Cheese, 2 ounces (half of a 4-ounce container)
Confectioners' Sugar, 1 tbs
Sponge type Ladyfingers, 3-to 4 (1/2 ounce package)
Coffee Flavor Liquor (optional), 2 tbs
Instant Espresso Coffee Powder, 2 tsp
AMARETTI Cookies, 3/4 cup (6 pairs of cookies) coarsely crushed
Frozen light whipped topping, 1-1/2 cups thawed (about _ of an 8-ounce container)
Unsweetened cocoa for garnish

Directions
In small bowl, with rubber spatula, mix coffee and vanilla yogurts.
Place large paper coffee filter in small metal strainer set over small bowl.
Spoon yogurt mixture into coffee filter; place in refrigerator.
Let yogurt mixture stand 2 hours (whey will drip into bowl and yogurt will be slightly thickened).
Remove yogurt mixture from refrigerator and discard liquid in bowl.
Spoon yogurt mixture into bowl.
Stir in whipped cream cheese and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar until well blended. Set aside.
Separate ladyfingers into halves.
Cut each half crosswise in half and place in jelly-roll pan.
In small bowl, stir together coffee-flavor liqueur, instant espresso-coffee powder, 1/4 cup hot tap water, and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (if not using coffee-flavor liqueur, increase hot tap water to 1/3 cup and espresso-coffee powder to 1 tablespoon).
Brush ladyfingers on both sides with espresso mixture.
In each of six 8-ounce parfait glasses, layer 4 pieces of ladyfinger, 1 scant tablespoon crushed amoretti cookies, 2 tablespoons yogurt mixture, and 1 heaping tablespoon whipped topping.
Repeat layering one more time.
Sprinkle with cocoa if you like.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.



Banana Delight
140 calories per serving vs Bananas Foster at 355 calories
Ingredients:

The SECRET:
Portion size. We used half a banana and kept it simple. This is a big favorite from the Weight Watchers Diet Plan used by big name celebrities.

1/2 Banana
1 Tablespoon of your favorite light butter
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
Vanilla, caramel or rum
Melt the butter and sugar in a fry pan until blended (but not burnt).
Cut the banana in half long way and sauté each side until just light brown.
Put the sautéed bananas on a plate.
In another plate mix the sauce and add 3 drops of vanilla (or caramel, or rum) to the sauce.
Pour the sauce over the banana.

If you can, this Valentine's Day, give your loved ones the gift of a home made dessert. It is thoughtful, often less processed and can be heart healthy, especially if you make it with your kids!

Please share your favorite Valentine's Day food stories with me, both past and present! I'd love to hear them. Bon Appetit!

Backwards Birthday Idea

Start the party in your PJ’s. Guests get a wake up call to arrive for this early party. And, you don't have to actually sleep over. I suggest a 10am beginning, so you can end by 1pm!
On your special day, have your cake and eat it too--first! This is a chocolate butterfly pudding cake (recipe compliments of Susan Howard, my down south aunt) It is a Devils Food Cake Mix Box –1 cup water, half a cup oil and add a small package of instant chocolate pudding. It makes the cake very moist. Here I'm serving it with mini puddings and whipped cream. It is a great way to start your day once a year:)
For our mini moguls we have some fun activities like “decorate your own airplane” or “make your own rocket”. These are environmentally friendly cardboard toys you can put together then personalize just for you. Sisi, my designer, painted the airplane, I have stickers for the rocket. You can find these items at cardboard design.com or at giggle in NYC. Anytime you can encourage a child to create or express themselves with art it empowers them and helps their self esteem.
What would a reverse sleepover be without pillows? So, I have a few pillow cases some glitter, felt, fabric glue, stencils, and fabric markers for everyone to make their own personalized pillowcase. No snoozers here at this party!
The movie of the day is... (choose your child's favorite) and everyone gets gourmet popcorn. I have truffle oil, chocolate, Italian, Parmesan cheese, and nacho cheddar. Something for everyone!
And, last but not least, we will end the day with a mini breakfast pizza. I’ve taken frozen mini pizzas baked them with potatoes, eggs and bacon bits and a little extra cheddar cheese for a yummy way to finish off this backwards day:)

This was shown on NBC's LX TV Live on their Mommy Monday section.

Let me know your favorite children's birthday ideas!

Keep it SIMPLE this New Year

If you are like me and try to squeeze every last drop of time out of the day then let me give you one more thing to make life easier in this new year. When I entertain I pre-batch my cocktails. I try to make them earlier in the day or the evening before my parties, but that's not my secret. My secret is Stirrings Simple Syrup. I discovered it at Fairway this holiday season, and WOW, is it awesome. Sure, simple syrup is just sugar and water, but the time it takes for me to make it on the stove adds up. I also squeeze my limes with a citrus press. My fresh pomegranate Margarita's are now even better, because they take less time to make.

1 1/2 oz Tequila
2oz Pomegranate liquor
1/2oz Grand Marnier
2-4 limes for fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2oz simple syrup


My tip for this New Year is to keep it simple in every area of your life!



Cheers and Happy New Year!



Send me your "MOM" time saving tips for me to share on LXTV's Mommy Mondays segment!

New Year's Party Style

Do you ever find yourself in search of the perfect dress or blouse to wear? Well, I want to share my new discovery for "instant party style" compliments of designer Rickie Freeman for Teri Jon.

From day...


to night...







Her versatile styles are fashionable, functional, affordable, and most of all comfortable! I had the great pleasure to wear these fun and festive looks for my WNBC LXTV segment during the Rockefeller Tree lighting ( a personal dream come true, so thank you LXTV team), the Inside Edition segment on holiday office parties, the Better TV episode on cost saving tips for home entertaining and the Riva Events' produced bash on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for the Founders Club. Thank you Ms. Freeman for helping me look and feel so fabulous from day to night!

Last Minute Holiday Entertaining Tips

35 Christmas Money Saving Ideas For Moms

Happy holidays everyone! Melissa Chapman-Mushnick wrote an article on a few money saving tips for moms, so please check out www.SheKnows.com

You’ve got just a few days left to pull together stocking stuffers for the family, decorate your lackluster home with some festive trimmings and cook up some sanat-licious dishes. Instead you’re hyperventilating because frankly you’ve been too busy with your day-to-day mommy obligations to tackle your holiday ones! That being said we’re intent on helping you cut through the circulars and have put together a list of some last-minute budget friendly stocking stuffers, toys, food dishes and decorating tips so you can focus on keeping the holiday spirit alive and well!

COST-CUTTING FOOD PREP
Splenda (www.splenda.com) offers these tips for stress-free, easy on your budget holiday cooking and baking:

Be organized and plan ahead. Sit down for 30 minutes and think through all the aspects of your party. Make shopping lists and create to-do lists. By creating a successful routine and sticking to it you will avoid impulse purchases
Accept help from family and friends. Organize your tasks and when a friend or family member asks what they can do to help in preparation of a party or meal – let them be responsible for a project or dish.
Prepare foods ahead of time that can be warmed. Many appetizers, entrees and desserts can be pre-made, which will save you time and stress.
Simplify holiday beverage offerings to include coffee and apple cider as after-dinner drinks. Add a tray with creamer, SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener and cinnamon to allow guests to customize.
Use those holiday leftovers. Make a great appetizer spread – little tea sandwiches with turkey or ham are always a hit.
BUDGET FRIENDLY DECORATIONS
NYC-based event planner Cathy Riva (www.rivaevents.com) offers these tips for stress-free holiday entertaining:

Use materials you have around the house. There is no need to run out and purchase decorations. Get creative and use what you’ve got. This year’s trends include neutral and wood tones with items such as pine cones and pine needles. Consider incorporating these into the centerpiece you create.
Instead of involving kids with polishing the silver or something mundane, offer them a chance to own a project, such as setting the table or making homemade centerpieces. When guests arrive, highlight your children’s work so they feel appreciated.
Now is the time to recycle. Get rid of old holiday cards you have been saving for years, but use them in a special way. Cut place cards out of them so you will have one white side and one side with your card décor. You can also use scraps of gift-wrap to make place cards too.
Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s Mom Saver-in-Chief, recommends borrowing from friends. Instead of buying enough place settings for your party, borrow extra plates from parents or a friend. In need of a specialty serving dish? Ask if anyone you know has one.
Create a pleasing aroma without the expensive potpourri. Put a pot of water on the stove and add cinnamon, lemon, orange rinds or ginger. Simmer on low heat throughout the day, suggests Reynolds.
Wedding and event consultant Cheryl Jablow of Social Frog Designs suggests using candles of all sizes or colors to add elegance and a festive look and feel to a home. For safety, place candles in glass containers such as drinking glasses, flower vases, or even glass jars and keep them out of reach from children. Fill larger containers with holiday ornaments, balls, or pinecones.
Add a bit of texture and additional color by gathering small branches and twigs that have fallen to the ground or ask your local Christmas tree selling stand if you can have, free or at a small price, loose evergreen branches and scatter them around the base of your glass containers, suggests Jablow.

KIDS TABLE THANKSGIVING IDEAS

I hope you can use one or all of these ideas to connect to your child this Thanksgiving. My two-year-old and I made the hand print, turkey tablecloth together and we had such a blast! It was fun to release my inner child and get messy with finger paints.

My team prepped the table on Sunday and we used all the ideas for LX TV, the new LIVE show on WNBC Monday. I hope they can help you have a little more joy this Turkey Day too. Thanks Jackie and Sam for your help.



-KID HAND PRINT TURKEY TABLE CLOTH OR RUNNER
Craft paper table runner or cloth. Use finger paint to create orange hands for turkey’s and glue feathers and googley eyes on for fun. They key is to stick to one or two colors that match your grown up decor to keep it looking complimentary.

-FELT PLACE MATS
Use pre-cut felt squares found at www.michaels.com . Make thanksgiving themes with ric rak, fall leaves, turkeys stickers, so your kids can make their own design. Another idea for place mats is to use construction paper and real photographs of your guests and laminate them for use year after year.

-FALL CENTERPIECE
The centerpiece is made from fall leaves. This can be a fun family activity if you plan in advance. We went to central park and gathered leaves and then pressed them overnight in a book or magazine. Add the leaves branches or add the fallen leaves to floral wire and stick in floral foam, those green bricks you can find at any most craft stores.


-PINE CONE PLACE CARDS
We glittered pine cones in a ziplock with glitter and glue and added a personalized card with every child’s name for the place card. These pine cone place cards can be used for the grown up table too and are great for family gatherings because they allow you to mix up your guests who always are used to sitting in the same places every year. And, when the kids see their crafts at the adult table they will gain self esteem when everyone comes in and says oh wow these are great!

-CANDY APPLE STATION
The candy apple station is just a fun way to keep kids occupied while you enjoy a quick bite. Take slices of apples place in a small bowl, then place caramel dipping sauce in a matching bowl next to the apples. Add a buffet of choices for dunking, such as candy sprinkles, coconut, mini m&m’s, whipped cream etc. The secret to great apples is coating them with LIME juice (not lemon) for a delicious tangy taste that works well with the caramel.

-VERTERRA PLATES
The kids table is set with environmentally friendly Verterra plates made from pressed leaves you can find them Whole Foods or Fairway or online at Verterra.com. The great thing about these plates is if you do not have enough plates to accommodate all of your guests for the holidays these look stylish and sophisticated, but are just a little more than the cost of plastic disposable.



-VOTIVE HOLDERS
I added votive holders we covered with burlap and raffia and filled with battery powered votives for an added touch.

-CORNUCOPIA BASKET
And, for additional décor I found this great cornucopia basket which I filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and mixed in my leftover leaves.

-TURKEY PUMPKIN
I have an orange pumpkin left over from Halloween I make a Thanksgiving Turkey out of a wooden kit I found online at Etsy.

-HARVEST FRIENDS PUPPETS
We also made a few felt harvest friends puppets. These we found half off at Michaels! Thanksgiving items are on sale so its not to late to grab a few great finds for less.

-TO SUM UP THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING: GRATITUDE BUCKET
And, finally to sum up the spirit of thanksgiving I suggest a gratitude bucket. Allow the kids to go around and ask every adult to place what they are grateful for in the bucket and have the kids do this too.



THE BEST PART IS YOUR CHILDREN CAN HELP MAKE THEIR OWN SPECIAL TABLE FOR TURKEY DAY AND AS A PARENT YOU CAN SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR KIDS AND GET SOME WORK DONE TOO.