It must have been in the mid 1980's when I was having coffee with my friend from across the road and she said to me, "You need to try this dessert I made! It's delicious!"
She cut me a piece and I enjoyed it with my coffee and agreed that it was one of the most delicious desserts I had ever eaten. "What's it called?" I wanted to know!
"Sex in a pan!" She piped up. Cue in nervous laughter here. "That's a racy name!" I said. "That's a racy dessert!" she replied.
I don't think I ever really got quite comfortable with the name, but I know that my family surely loved the dessert. It was a firm favorite at my table for many, many years.
Now that I am a singleton, I thought that I would never taste it again, not unless I was having loads of people over for dessert. If you think it's hard having a full-sized main course hang around your refrigerator for a few days, try it being dessert!
There is nothing worse than having a full-sized dessert in the refrigerator and there only being you to eat it! And I'm not joking when I say that. Too much of anything is well, just TOO much! And, to be honest, I just don't need to be eating that much dessert!
I picked up this Taste Of Home Magazine/book at the grocery store the other week, entitled Cooking for Two, 124 recipes sized just right. This is the second or third recipe I have been tempted to cook from it.
I flagged it as soon as I saw it! It was a smaller, two serving sized recipe, for my old favorite! Layered Chocolate Pudding Dessert! I set my mind towards making it as soon as I could get in all the ingredients.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LAYERED CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT
Nothing too extraordinary really. Some ingredients might be a bit more difficult to find in the UK. Wherever possible I have made a suitable suggestion for substitutions!
- 1/3 cup (41g) all purpose, plain flour
- 3 TBS finely chopped toasted pecans
- 3 TBS butter, melted
- 3 ounces (85g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup (43g) icing sugar
- 1 cup whipped topping, divided (120ml/1/2 cup cream whipped until stiff)
- 2/3 cup (156ml) cold milk
- 3 TBS dry instant chocolate pudding powder (In the UK use chocolate angel dessert mix powder)
I always like to toast my nuts for baking and cooking with. I usually do them a whole bag at a time and keep them tightly covered in a container in my freezer.
To toast nuts, spread them out into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in a preheated moderate oven (375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5) for 8 to 10 minutes. You will know they are done when you can smell them. Nice and toasty!
Toasting really enhances the flavor of nuts. And it's not really a difficult thing to do. For this recipe you will want to chop your nuts fairly fine. I use one of these Zyliss food choppers.
I had a Pampered Chef one in the UK. I would never want to be without one of these. They are great for chopping small amounts of nuts, onions, celery, etc. As Martha would say, it's a good thing!
You can use low fat pudding mix and cream cheese. Both will work fine. I know that you can't get pudding mix in the UK, or at least you couldn't when I was living there, but Angel Delight is pretty close to the same thing and will work beautifully in this recipe.
Icing sugar is powdered sugar, or confectioner's sugar as it is also called.
HOW TO MAKE LAYERED CHOCOLATE PUDDING DESSERT
There are three basic components to the dessert. The crust, which must be baked, and then a cream cheese, plus a chocolate pudding layer. Whipped cream sits on top.
None of it is very difficult to make.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready two 8-ounce dessert cups.
Whisk the toasted pecans and flour together. Add the melted butter and mix well to combine. Press this mixture down into the bottom of each dessert cup, pressing it in firmly and dividing it up equally.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Whip your cream until stiff. Divide it in half.
Whip the cream cheese together with the icing sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Divide this mixture equally between the two dessert cups, placing it on top of the crust and smoothing it out.
Whip the chocolate pudding mix and the milk together until smooth and soft set. Spoon half of the mixture into each dessert cup, covering the cream cheese mixture and smoothing it out. Divide the remaining whipped cream between both cups and smooth it out over top of the chocolate pudding.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
This was every bit as delicious as I remember it being. Incredibly moreish. So good that I am secretly relieved that there are only two servings. One for me to enjoy, and then one to share with a neighbor. She never complains.
I do have a similar full sized dessert recipe here on the blog for those of you who have larger families. Refrigerator Fudge Cake. It is not in layers like this, and is a bit more complicated to make, but I can promise you it's delicious. Nobody will complain!
DARK CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE FOR TWO - A moist and delicious six-inch layer cake. Filled and topped with a lush vanilla buttercream. I added a layer of cherry jam in the middle as well. Cuts into 4 perfect pieces.
RICE PUDDING FOR TWO - Almost nursery food . . . warm hug food. Little kernels of rice encircled by rich milky custard. I love the skin on top. It's my favorite bit. This is perfect food for the winter blues. I like mine with a dab of jam. How do you enjoy yours?
Yield: 2
Author: Marie Rayner
Layered Chocolate Pudding Dessert
Cook time: 30 MinTotal time: 30 Min
A cool, creamy and chocolatey indulgence for two people. You can make it as low fat as you like, depending on what you use to make it.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (41g) all purpose, plain flour
- 3 TBS finely chopped toasted pecans
- 3 TBS butter, melted
- 3 ounces (85g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup (43g) icing sugar
- 1 cup whipped topping, divided (120ml/1/2 cup cream whipped until stiff)
- 2/3 cup (156ml) cold milk
- 3 TBS dry instant chocolate pudding powder (In the UK use chocolate angel dessert mix powder)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready two 8-ounce dessert cups.
- Whisk the toasted pecans and flour together. Add the melted butter and mix well to combine. Press this mixture down into the bottom of each dessert cup, pressing it in firmly and dividing it up equally.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Whip your cream until stiff. Divide it in half.
- Whip the cream cheese together with the icing sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Divide this mixture equally between the two dessert cups, placing it on top of the crust and smoothing it out.
- Whip the chocolate pudding mix and the milk together until smooth and soft set. Spoon half of the mixture into each dessert cup, covering the cream cheese mixture and smoothing it out. Divide the remaining whipped cream between both cups and smooth it out over top of the chocolate pudding.
- Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Looking for something tasty and different to pop into the kid's lunch boxes, or for an afterschool snack? How about something tasty to serve when you are enjoying a game night? Or even as a light supper with either some soup or a salad?
Look no further! These fabulously quick and easy Pizza Pinwheels fit the bill on all counts!
When my youngest son was growing up, he was the fussiest of fussy eaters! He went through a period of time where he would only eat toast, and it couldn't be too dark or too light.
Then there was the rice period, where he would only eat rice. Hot dogs, same thing. And then there was pizza pockets. He went for a very long time where he would only eat pizza pockets.
I used to despair and worry about how he was going to turn out. I worried about malnourishment and all sorts. Thankfully he outgrew that fussy stage and, as far as I know, he eats most things now!
I wish I had had this Pizza Pinwheel recipe way back when. It would have been a lot cheaper to make than buying Pizza pockets and probably a bit healthier as well! I could have snuck all kinds of vegetables into them, so long as they were finely chopped!
I adapted the recipe from one I found on Carlsbad Cravings. I think my colors are a bit more realistic however. I don't know why people highly colorize their food photos.
There is another blogger out there who does the same thing, even with her travel photos and they always look far too bright and colorful. Totally unnatural.
With me you get things that look like they do in real life. For good or for bad. No surprises here!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY PIZZA PINWHEELS
It may look like a long list, but most of it is seasonings. Basically, you need crust, sauce, cheese and fillings.
For the pizza sauce:
- 2 cups (480ml) marinara sauce
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper/chilies
- 1/4 tsp crushed anise seed (Or fennel seed)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
For the toppings:
- 1 cup (140g) grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup (60g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 36 thin slices of dry cured pepperoni
- 1/3 of a medium green pepper, trimmed and finely chopped (see notes)
You will also need:
- 1 package, single pizza size, refrigerated pizza dough, or the equivalent in homemade pizza dough
If you don't want to make up your own sauce for spreading, you can use any good ready-made pizza sauce. You could also use my recipe for pizza sauce.
I have been making this pizza sauce for years and years. It makes enough for two pizzas but freezes well. It would also make enough for these pizza pinwheels and dipping.
I can promise you it is delicious! Years of trial and error and testing went into it.
Today I used a can of the Pillsbury Pizza dough which worked out really well. You can also make your own dough from scratch.
I have a great recipe here for dough. It makes enough for two thin crust pizzas and is very simple.
In the UK I used to find refrigerated pizza dough in the chiller cabinet near the fresh pastas, but it was not a common thing to find. You could also use plain scone dough.
For toppings here I kept it simple with dry cured pepperoni and some finely chopped green peppers. You can use any combination of toppings as you wish. The cheese helps to hold them in the pinwheels once they are baked.
Just make sure that you don't go overboard and add too much. It will all end up on the floor.
Aso make sure that what you do use vegetable wise is finely chopped.
I used only two kinds of cheeses, mozzarella and Parmesan. You can use whatever kind of cheese your family enjoys.
I like to use a good dry cure pepperoni, such as the one that Pizza Delight makes. You could also use cooked and drained Italian sausage, bacon, etc.
I used only green peppers, but chopped black olives, red onions, etc. also work very well. Use what you know your family enjoys and in small quantities. In this case, less is always more.
HOW TO MAKE EASY PIZZA PINWHEELS
These are really very easy to make. Kind of like making a savory jelly roll but with pizza dough and a savory filling!
Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Line a baking sheet with some baking paper. Set aside
Place the pepperoni onto a paper towel lined plate and microwave on high for about 20 seconds. Remove, dab off any excess fat with a piece of paper towel.
Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper, or your countertop. Open the dough and roll or pat it out to a 12 by 15-inch rectangle.
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce, combining them well. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce (180ml) over the surface of the crust, evenly, leaving a 1-inch border along one long edge.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over top. Place the pepperoni slices on top of the mozzarella, evenly spacing them. Sprinkle the chopped green pepper on top of the pepperoni and finish off with the Parmesan cheese.
Starting with the sauce filled long side facing you, tightly roll up the dough towards the 1-inch bare border. Pinch shut along the edge.
Cut into 12 slices (Crosswise) using a sharp serrated knife.
Place the pinwheels, cut side up, evenly spaced out on the lined baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the filling is heated through. Leave to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Serve warm with the remainder of the pizza sauce for dipping. Warm the sauce first.
You can keep these stored in an airtight container in the freezer. To use, thaw, then bake at 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
You can see where you really need to roll them up tightly so that the filling doesn't leak out. This would also be a problem if you overfilled them. Less really is more here.
They are incredibly delicious and make a wonderful and fun snack.
These are fabulous served alongside of your favorite soup for a light supper that everyone will love!!
MINI CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZAS - Using only 5 simple ingredients and taking not a lot of your time, you can have these delicious mini bakes on the table in less than half an hour. The idea behind these is that they are quick and convenient, and also incredibly tasty! As an appetizer, or a quick lunch, on the buffet table, for game nights, a light supper with a salad . . . whatever fits your need, your family is sure to enjoy these quick and delicious mini pizzas!
ULTIMATE PIZZA BAGELS - Prepare to fall in love! Grab the napkins and get ready to drool! Get ready to open wide and enjoy a spectacularly delicious hot sandwich!These delicious hot delights are the ultimate in Pizza Bagels. Not just a half a bagel like most Pizza Bagels you will see, these are the whole shebang! With double the sauce, double the toppings and double the cheese. A true delight you can wrap your mouth around.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Yield: 12
Author: Marie Rayner
Pizza Pinwheels
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Super fun, easy to make and delicious! These pizza pinwheels are totally customizable to your own tastes and freeze beautifully, which means you can have a quick and tasty snack ready to go! If you use store bought dough, these go together in a flash.
Ingredients
For the pizza sauce:
- 2 cups (480ml) marinara sauce
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper/chilies
- 1/4 tsp crushed anise seed (Or fennel seed)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
For the toppings:
- 1 cup (140g) grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup (60g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 36 thin slices of dry cured pepperoni
- 1/3 of a medium green pepper, trimmed and finely chopped (see notes)
You will also need:
- 1 package, single pizza size, refrigerated pizza dough, or the equivalent in homemade pizza dough
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Line a baking sheet with some baking paper. Set aside.
- Place the pepperoni onto a paper towel lined plate and microwave on high for about 20 seconds. Remove, dab off any excess fat with a piece of paper towel.
- Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper, or your countertop. Open the dough and roll or pat it out to a 12 by 15-inch rectangle.
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce, combining them well. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce (180ml) over the surface of the crust, evenly, leaving a 1-inch border along one long edge.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over top. Place the pepperoni slices on top of the mozzarella, evenly spacing them. Sprinkle the chopped green pepper on top of the pepperoni and finish off with the Parmesan cheese.
- Starting with the sauce filled long side facing you, tightly roll up the dough towards the 1-inch bare border. Pinch shut along the edge.
- Cut into 12 slices using a sharp serrated knife.
- Place the pinwheels, cut side up, evenly spaced out on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the filling is heated through. Leave to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Serve warm with the remainder of the pizza sauce for dipping. Warm the sauce first.
- You can keep these stored in an airtight container in the freezer. To use, thaw, then bake at 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Notes
You can use any variety of toppings as you wish for these pinwheels, always remembering that less is more. Do chop each topping finely and bear in mind that if you overdo the fillings, they are more likely to leak out. Browned Italian sausage makes a nice change from pepperoni.
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This fabulous sheet pan supper is hearty, healthy and sized just for one person! Filled with flavor it makes a perfect midweek supper for the singleton, although certainly you could double, triple, or quadruple it to feed more people if you wish!
Hearty and full of flavor it is a simple meal that the whole family is sure to love!
Not only is it simple and easy to make, but it is also very healthy and filled with plenty of delicious colors, flavors and textures.
Everything cooks altogether . . . roasting in a hot oven so you end up with beautifully crispy tender, an yet lightly caramelized carrots . . .
Perfectly roasted and caramelized Brussels sprouts. Oh, I do so love a roasted Brussels sprout, don't you? These are beautifully done.
Even the potato wedges are cooked to perfection. Crisp and golden brown on the outsides, and fluffy and meltingly tender inside.
This is a recipe I downsized and adapted from one I found on The Feathered Nester. I thought I had taken out a chicken breast to cook, but it ended up being two boneless skinless thighs.
Scratch plan "A" and move to plan "B."
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHEET PAN CHICKEN THIGHS WITH VEGGIES for one
There is nothing extraordinary here. Just everyday simple kitchen ingredients.
For the vegetables:
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks
- a handful of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 tsp light olive oil
- garlic powder, onion power, dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of sweet paprika (for the potatoes)
For the chicken:
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp butter
At the end of the day you can use whatever vegetables you have in the house and that you enjoy. For me it happened to be carrots and sprouts. Broccoli would work well as would cauliflower or green beans. Zucchini would work well.
You could use sweet potatoes, turnips or butternut squash as well. Just make sure that you cut your vegetables all the same size and allow for extra cook time for the harder vegetables. Some vegetables take longer to cook than others. Rutabaga or turnips are ones which take a bit longer.
Small wedges of cabbage would also be very nice, onions, etc. Really the world is your oyster when it comes to choice!
I used very simple seasonings for my vegetables and my chicken. You could vary on these of course. If you want a Tex Mex kind of a result, use typical spices such as cumin, coriander and chili. A squeeze of lime juice would be lovely squeezed over the chicken at the end in this case.
Today I used only onion and garlic powders. (Make sure you use powders not salts.) I also used some dried thyme on the vegetables and my own homemade Bell's poultry seasoning mix on the chicken.
You could use chicken breast meat instead of the thighs, but do bear in mind that they will not take as long to cook, unless your breast is particularly thick.
If your chicken breast is quite thick, beat it to an even flatness between two sheets of plastic cling film. I would do this anyways just to make sure that everything cooks evenly.
If you wanted to you could brush the chicken with some sort of sauce prior to cooking and throughout the cook time. BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard, Maple, Honey, etc. Again go with what you enjoy.
Today I left them plain with just the seasonings and a pat of butter to help and keep them moist.
HOW TO MAKE SHEET PAN CHICKEN THIGHS WITH VEGGIES for one
Nothing could be quicker or easier! If you have all of your vegetables prepped ahead of time, it goes even faster.
Preheat your oven to 425*F/ 220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Toss your vegetables together in a bowl along the oil. Lay the vegetables (individually) out onto the baking tray, sprinkling some paprika on the potato wedges. Sprinkle the remaining seasonings overall.
Lay the chicken thighs on the baking sheet. Keep them rolled up to begin. Top each with a slice of butter and then season with some, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Using a spatula turn your vegetables over. (If some appear done, remove to a bowl and then return at the end of cook time to heat through. Depending on the size of your sprouts, they can cook faster than the carrots and potatoes.)
Open out the chicken thighs and roast everything for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through (juices will run clear), and your vegetables are done to your liking.
Serve hot.
I really enjoyed this hearty and yet very simple meal. After all the hustle bustle of December, it was nice to be able to enjoy a meal that wasn't labor or planning intensive!
My carrots were crispy tender, the sprouts melted in my mouth, the potatoes were perfectly crisp, and that chicken was cooked to perfection as well. I needed nothing else!
If you are interested in additional smaller sized recipes for the singleton or couple, you may want to consider the following:
LEMON & GARLIC CHICKEN FOR ONE - This recipe is for a delicious moist and well flavored chicken breast which marinades for a time in a delicious tenderizing marinade and then is simply roasted to perfection in a moderate oven. As simple as it is this marinated lemon garlic chicken breast is truly delicious! Fabulous served on a bed of cooked orzo or rice.
DEEP DISH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE FOR ONE -Crispy edged and gooey centred. This is best eaten warm, and I have a personal preference for vanilla ice cream with this, rather than anything else. So dangerous that you might even want to share it rather than eat it all on your own.
Yield: 1
Author: Marie Rayner
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
This quick and easy sheet pan supper is delicious and healthy and yields enough to feed one person generously. Simply double or triple the amounts to feed more people.
Ingredients
For the vegetables:
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks
- a handful of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 tsp light olive oil
- garlic powder, onion power, dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of sweet paprika (for the potatoes)
For the chicken:
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425*F/ 220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Toss your vegetables together in a bowl along the oil. Lay the vegetables (individually) out onto the baking tray, sprinkling some paprika on the potato wedges. Sprinkle the remaining seasonings over all.
- Lay the chicken thighs on the baking sheet. Keep them rolled up to begin. Top each with a slice of butter and then season with some, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Using a spatula turn your vegetables over. (If some appear done, remove and then return at the end to heat through. Depending on the size of your sprouts, they can cook faster than the carrots and potatoes.)
- Open out the chicken thighs and roast everything for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through (juices will run clear), and your vegetables are done to your liking.
- Serve hot.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it # marierayner5530
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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