Another Day Another Dessert

Tonight I am once again considering what to make for dessert. Tomorrow evening we have tickets to Blithe Spirit, which requires something yummy to eat upon returning home from the show. We have always had pie after theater outings, so I began trying to decide what kind to make this month; however, my husband pointed out that we always have pie because we always end up at a late-night diner which has a decent selection of fruity pastry, but not much else in the way of desserts. So, he reasoned, I could pick any kind of sweet concoction I like if we're having it at home (which we are). This is a double-edged sword, since sticking with pie is easier, but opting for something new is more intriguing.

Immediately I opened my new Taste of Home collector's issue, which is basically a cookbook in magazine form, and found 24 pages of desserts in living color! The list includes ice creams, cakes, pies, and candies, but a few of the recipes are early front runners including Lemon Rice Pudding Brulee, Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes, and Cinnamon Chocolate Nachos. Each of these looks like a winner to me, but of course the guys might be another story.

Both of them will opt for anything chocolate over a tangy lemon flavor, and Jeff isn't crazy about rice pudding. Unfortunately, that's probably my first choice, so I'll wait until break is over to make a batch of that which I can share at school. (Taking treats to work at least once a month has made me pretty popular in some circles.) As for the other two recipes, the cupcakes look more traditional. It's easy to imagine myself enjoying these with a steaming cup of coffee after a night out. As a bonus, they remind me of the cream cheese brownies my mom used to make - a scrumptious perennial favorite at our house. On the other hand, the nachos look interesting. They're tortillas baked with a cinnamon-sugar coating and then drizzled with chocolate ganache. It looks like a chocoholic's version of Taco Bell's old Cinnamon Crispas (which predated the current Cinnamon twists and tasted much better). Jade would surely like this crunchy sweet creation.

Actually, now that I'm flipping through the book again other recipes are catching my eye - Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Brownies, Cappuccino Cherry Trifle, and Berry Cheesecake Pie. These all look equally tempting, though to tell the truth the homemade ice creams are appealing, too. Unfortunately, I don't have an ice cream maker. Of course, I could tell Jeff I'm giving him one for our recent anniversary. This would be a win-win situation since he adores ice cream and would jump at the opportunity to make it at home, and I would get a new gadget to play with. On top of that, he'd actually think the gift was for him. This is beginning to sound like the way to go. Hmm...I wonder if it's too late to go to Walmart.