Marbled Chocolate Mousse

Serves 8 (about 1/2 cup each)
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cooking Time: 2 minutes, Chilling Time: at least 5 minutes, I let mine set for a few hours

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk*
1 cup cold milk
1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
2 cups frozen, fat-free whipped topping, thawed

*the original recipe called for full-fat condensed milk. I used fat-free, and didn't notice any problems with consistency. Save the fat!

1. Place milk and 1 cup cold water in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-low speed until blended. Add pudding mix; beat until smooth. Stir in melted chocolate. Cover and chill 5 minutes. (Again, I made mine earlier in the day and let it sit until dessert time.)

2. Gently fold in whipped topping, leaving large chocolate streaks. Spoon into serving dishes.

Results: Don't get me wrong, this was really tasty, and really easy to make, but it did taste a little like "instant pudding" to me. That doesn't mean I didn't eat it, mind you. The kids and the husband loved it. I thought it was good. Just good. I'll put it this way, you won't be wowing any quests with your dessert making skills with this one. We had the leftovers the next day and they were really good. I don't know how this would turn out, but I was thinking you could freeze these in little muffin tins and keep them in the freezer and just pop one in your mouth whenever you needed a chocolate fix. I may have to try that, because this is one easy dessert.

S'mores Slab

Serves 12
Prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 4 minutes, chill time: 2 hours

Cooking spray
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup light stick butter
1/4 cup water
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 14 sheets), divided
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1. Line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper allowing paper to extend over edge of pan. Coat parchment with cooking spray.

2. Combine chocolate, butter, and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 4 minutes of until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.

3. While chocolate mixture cooks, place 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows in a large bowl. Stir hot chocolate mixture into graham cracker mixture. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup crumbs. Press chocolate mixture into prepared pan. Cover and chill 2 hours or until set.

4. Remove load from pan; peel off parchment paper, and cut into 12 slices.

Results: These were so yummy! They were very easy to make and not nearly as messy as a real s'more! The leftovers were good several days later, but the crackers were getting a bit soggy by that point, so we did end up throwing some out. (Boooooo!) These would be a perfect dish to take to a party, especially if you chilled them in a mini muffin pan instead of a loaf pan. Definitely keeping this recipe!