[1] Chocolate lasagna: a happy Valentine Dessert (photo © Persnickety Plates | Amanda’s Cookin’.

[2] Stabilized whipped cream doesn’t collapse (photo © Kuhn Rikon).

We love whipped cream, and we don’t care for Cool Whip.

(Sure, we ate it in college from the container, like the other girls in the dorm. But not since.)

We come across many fetching recipes, like this Chocolate Lasagna from Amanda’s Cookin’. It uses Cool Whip.

We’d like to introduce you to the alternative: stabilized whipped cream, actual whipped cream that can replace Cool Whip in any recipe.

Stabilized whipped cream added gelatin to regular whipped cream. The gelatin stiffens the whipped cream and keeps it from collapsing—for days!

Stabilized whipped cream is our go-to frosting for cakes and cupcakes (we prefer it to buttercream), and is a hero in layered desserts like this Chocolate Lasagna.

Once you try it, you’ll wonder how you’ve gone without it.
 
 
RECIPE: STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the stabilized whipped cream. Place the cold water in a small pan and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it thicken; then place the pan over low heat, stirring constantly, just until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from the heat and cool, but do not allow it to set.

2. WHIP the cream with the powdered sugar, until slightly thick. While slowly beating, add the gelatin to whipping cream. Whip at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes.

You’re ready to frost, layer, or whatever you like.

This recipe, from Amanda’s Cookin’, is a no-bake layered dessert. Cookies substitute for lasagna noodles, cream cheese and whipped cream for the mozzarella, and chocolate pudding for the sauce. Says Amanda, “It’s a chocolate dessert dream!”

Prep time is 30 minutes, set time is 30 minutes, plus 1 hour in the freezer or 4 hours in the fridge.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CRUSH the cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor or a rolling pin and a zip-top bag.

2. COMBINE the crumbs and butter in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Use a spatula to evenly press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish.

NOTE: Since you’ll be serving from the dish, use an attractive one. We have both glass and red ceramic baking dishes.

3. WIPE the bowl, add the cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and the 1/4 cup sugar; mix well. Fold half the whipped cream into the mixture, spread it over the cookie crust and place into the fridge for 10 minutes. As the filling sets…

4. ADD the pudding mixes to a large bowl with 3-1/4 cups milk; beat on medium until it starts to thicken. Spread the pudding mixture over the cream cheese layer and place the dish back into the fridge or another 10 minutes. Once set…

5. GENTLY SPREAD the remaining whipped cream over the top and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips or shavings. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge (or 1 hour in the freezer) before slicing.

Save us a big piece!

There’s no need to pack on the calories for Valentine’s Day. Make these Valentine Fruit Skewers.

You can serve them at breakfast, or for snacking.

Or, enjoy them as a filling dessert before you dig into the box of chocolate.
 
RECIPE: VALENTINE HEART FRUIT SKEWERS

Ingredients

Use whatever fruit appeals to you as you head down the produce aisle.

While February isn’t the height of fruit options, we found very good:

 
Plus

For breakfast, snack or dessert: hearts of cantaloupe, kiwi, pineapple, strawberries and watermelon (photo courtesy My Morning Moxie).

1. SLICE all the fruit except strawberries into half-inch or thicker slices. Use the cookie cutter to stamp out heart shapes. Save the trimmings for yogurt or cottage cheese.

2. SLICE the strawberries in half; they make natural heart shapes.

3. ARRANGE the fruit on skewers with a blueberry spacer in between. If you want a fancier appearance, thread two small mint leaves on each skewer. Serve plain or with ramekins of yogurt.
  

[2] Classic poutine: fries, cheese curds, gravy (photo © Wendy’s Canada).

[3] Cheese curds are made plain or flavored. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese makes different flavors, including the Chipotle Curds in the photo (photo courtesy Beecher’s).

La Poutine Week (poo-TEEN) is here!

Celebrated from February 1st to the 7th, it’s an opportunity for Canadians and American fans to indulge in the Canadian national dish:

French fries with cheese curds, topped with brown gravy.

Poutine is the Canadian version of cheese fries, with a different type of cheese and brown gravy instead of ketchup.

Here’s more about poutine, including the history of poutine.
 
 
HOW SHOULD YOU CELEBRATE POUTINE?

Recently we recommended hosting a poutine party.

But for a much smaller effort, you can enjoy a simple lunch at home.

In Canada, restaurants make creative versions of poutine, from poutine nachos, pizza and ribs to Japanese and Middle Eastern variations.

Take a look to see if any inspires you. One thing strangely absent from the list—easy to make at home—is a poutine burger, topped with cheese curds and fries, and drizzled with gravy.

Below, we present another favorite American comfort food—the grilled cheese sandwich—given the poutine treatment.

This Poutine Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe is from a delicious Canadian website, BSInTheKitchen (written by a brother and sister, Bob and Carrie Deutscher, of Saskatchewan).

In addition to this recipe, check out their Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich (no poutine).
 
 
RECIPE: POUTINE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Prep time is 40 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.

Ingredients Per Sandwich

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the gravy according to package instructions; prepare the French fries.

2. PLACE a pan over medium heat, add the cheese curds and let them get a head start on melting.

3. BUTTER the outside of each slice of bread. Spread a generous amount of gravy on the inside of each slice. Add the French fries (pick the crispest ones). Place the cheese curds on top of fries, and add the top slice of bread to form the sandwich.

4. FRY in butter until golden brown on each side.

 
 
WANT MORE POUTINE?

Here’s a recipe from French’s for BBQ Beef Poutine: French fries, beef, cheese curds and scallions, topped with a fried egg.

[1] A conventional submarine. Save carbs with the cucumber versions below (photo courtesy Wikimedia).

How cute are these bites, from Pierce Abernathy of Tasty.co?

A better-for-you snack for the Super Bowl or other nibbling occasions, the concept puts submarine and other sandwich fillings between cucumber halves instead of bread.

 
Click through to the recipes, or create your own:

Sweet and spicy, with brown sugar and sriracha sauce, this bacon snack recipe comes to us from actress Valerie Bertinelli, who recently published Valerie’s Home Cooking (photo #2).

She calls the recipe Brown Sugar Sriracha Bacon Bites Candy. Taste-wise, it’s an irresistible collaboration of sweet, spicy, and savory.

“It’s one of my favorite appetizers to make for a cocktail party,” says Valerie. “They always go fast. These bacon bites also package well, so I’ve made them in advance and given them to people as yummy gifts.”

Prep time is 10 minutes, and total time is 1 hour.

> The history of Sriracha sauce.
 
 
RECIPE: BROWN SUGAR SRIRACHA BACON BITES CANDY

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Stir together the sriracha and brown sugar in a medium bowl; add the bacon pieces and toss to coat. Set aside.

2. LINE a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a wire rack over the foil. Spray the rack liberally with cooking spray. Place the bacon pieces in a single layer on the rack.

3. BAKE the bacon until almost crisp, about 45 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, sprinkle the bacon evenly with the toasted sesame seeds and black sesame seeds.

4. REMOVE from the oven and cool for 5 to 8 minutes, moving the bacon pieces slightly on the rack every 2 minutes to prevent sticking. The bacon will crisp more as it cools.

[2] Get your copy.