Strawberry Basil Sorbet

This Strawberry Basil Sorbet recipe only calls for 5 ingredients (strawberries, sugar, basil, lemon juice & salt) and is all natural. Its a great way to treat yourself to a healthy dessert for the New Year!

Ingredients:

3 cups strawberries (cut in half, stemless)

2/3 cup sugar-- I used all natural cane sugar

1/4 cup basil, coarsely chopped

2 tea fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

Directions:

1) Combine the strawberries, sugar & basil and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes-- you'll know they're ready when a thin glossy syrup coats the strawberries


2) Add everything (mixture, lemon juice & salt) to a blender or food processor and let 'er rip

3) Cover & refrigerate the mixture (2 hours or more)

4) Pour the cold puree into the ice cream maker and churn

5) Place in freezer safe container and sit in freezer for at least 2 hours.

And thats it- you've got fresh all natural sorbet at home!

**update: I redid this same recipe w/ fresh mint instead of basil and it turned out just as great!**

Amaretto Chocolate Fondue

This is a super-simple chocolate fondue recipe is great for a nice, quiet at home date (and did I mention how inexpensive it is?).

If you don’t have a fondue pot, don’t fret, you can serve this straight outta the pan. If you don’t get down with the amaretto feel free to replace it with any liqueur you like (try: Grand Marnier or Kahlua, mmmmm).

Ingredients:
1 lb semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or morsels
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup of amaretto liqueur
Handful of sliced almonds

Dippers: Bananas, Strawberries, Pound Cake (feel free to use whatever other dippers you prefer. Apples, brownies, pineapple or marshmallows also work well).

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, bring whipping cream to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth. Stir in amaretto and serve in fondue pot on low (if applicable). Top with sliced almonds and serve with chopped bananas, strawberries & pound cake on the side.