Make Food Not War

Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2011-09-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have quite a few friends that are gluten (wheat, barley, and rye) free so little by little I've been trying to experiment with different flours to get a go-to all purpose flour substitute. I've had great success with the following mixture, which can be subbed 1 to 1 for any all purpose flour. I make a big batch of this and just store it in my cupboard for whenever I've making something without gluten:

Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 cups potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp xanthan gum

The recipe I made today is to die for. Not literally of course but seriously these are amazing in texture and flavor. Totally indistinguishable as gluten-free! This is a big smack in the gob from fall. If you have no desire to make them gluten free, feel free to use AP flour instead.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
adapted from Dreamy Desserts

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat together the sugars, oil, and pumpkin, adding the eggs one at a time and mixing well after. Add vanilla.

In another bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Add little by little to the wet ingredients just until combined.

Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag with a corner snipped off, pipe the mixture in concentric circles starting from the middle and moving outward until the discs are about 2 inches wide. I like to use parchment paper

Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.

Cream Cheese filling
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick of butter, room temperature
16 oz powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of cinnamon

Beat  together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla  and  cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another  piece. 

Pancake Syrup

2011-08-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my previous entry, we've got one bajillion pounds of fruit in this house. One thing I love to make and uhh eat, is pancakes. Family friendly, quick, healthy (potentially, unless you're my husband. In which they are laden with chocolate chips), etc. Here is my recipe for the above pictured syrups. You can make them separately or combine to make taste explosion.

Blueberry Pancake Syrup

8 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup water
4 cups orange juice
3 cups white sugar
1 cup cold water
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Peach Syrup

10 sliced fresh peaches
1/3 cup sugar
2 dashes cinnamon
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups water

Put everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until desired thickness is achieved.

The peach syrup will be slightly cloudy. That's totally normal.

Peach Cobbler

2011-08-02T07:26:00.001-07:00

summer, thy name is peaches

I could eat peach something-er-others all year round, and we do because each year from the farmer's market we get 4 pecks (approximately 20 lbs) of peaches which we can, dehydrate, and freeze to enjoy later. Many, many of them are eaten as-is, you know - juice running down your arms and neck.

I made this peach crisp last night and ahem. enjoyed it until midnight. I also have quite a few gluten free friends so instead of all purpose flour I use almond flour.

Peach Cobbler

FOR THE FILLING:
5 lbs. ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1" pieces
1–1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
Heaping 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup walnut bits
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp chilled butter, cut into bits
1 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine peaches, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients and toss until well blended. Then sprinkle over peach mixture.

Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy warm, with ice cream, or umm for breakfast if you're fancy.

Peanut butter chocolate chip pie

2011-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

This recipe and photograph is taken directly from Baked Bree

There is kind of an unspoken rule amongst my friends that I am expected to bring a dessert to cookouts or potlucks. It just wouldn't be an afternoon at my house without sharing pie or cookies (or both, whatever) over a cup of tea. This is my favorite all-season pie recipe.

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and press into a pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Let cool and start on the filling.

For the filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup peanut butter (I use smooth)
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Whip the heavy cream and set aside. Cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add the vanilla. Fold the whip cream mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Add the chips. Pour into cooled crust. Chill before serving. Enjoy!

Almond Chicken Salad

2011-07-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Once I went to a bridal shower for a friend and they served chicken salad sandwiches on luscious, buttery croissants and I may or may not have asked if I could take some home. And I may or may not have gone home with a half dozen in my purse.

TRUE STORY

Can I blame it on the fact that I was pregnant? Because I was and I am going to.

The point is that I love chicken salad. I've never had one I didn't like! There are endless things to love and endless ways to tailor the recipe to your personal tastes. My husband hates nuts of all kinds (well except peanuts but what kind of loon would want peanuts in their chicken salad?) My kids and I love them all so I made two batches of this to suit everyone. I added grapes but you could easily sub a Granny Smith apple or if you want to get REALLY wild, some dried cherries. BONKERS I KNOW but it's fab. Also, pecans instead of almonds would be delicious too.

Almond Chicken Salad

1 cup almonds, salted and roasted
2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup of seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup mayo
Salt
Black pepper

If you want to make your own mayo (I admire you but yeah, I am not that person):
Blend eggs, yolk, salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender. Stream in the oils and blend on high until thickened. Extra mayo can be stored in a jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, grapes, celery, onions, and parsley, and just enough mayo to bind the chicken salad. Salt and pepper to taste. If serving, add the almonds. If making ahead of time, wait to add the almonds until just before assembling the sandwiches.

Makes 4 delicious sammiches

Teriyaki Noodles with Asparagus and Snap Peas

2011-06-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Just by adding a little extra liquid, you can turn virtually any stir-fry into an excellent sauce for tossing with noodles, rice, or other grains. Asparagus is particularly nice here because it browns beautifully, but you can use green beans or sliced broccoli as alternatives. (I peel thick asparagus, which isn’t strictly necessary, but it only takes a minute and makes it much less fibrous. Or skip the whole thing and use broccoli florets.) For a spicier sauce, add a couple dried red chiles to the skillet along with the garlic and ginger.

1 1⁄2 pounds asparagus, peeled if thick, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces of noodles such as rice, buckwheat (soba), or wheat noodles. I used these
1 -2 cups of fresh or frozen snap peas
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup mirin, or 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons water

1. If the asparagus is thick, parboil it, then shock it in a bowl of ice water and drain. If the spears are thin, don’t bother.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put a large skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the oil, wait a few seconds, and add the asparagus and scallions. Cook, stirring, for a minute, then stir in the ginger and garlic. Cook until the asparagus is dry, hot, and beginning to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes; remove the pan from the heat.

3. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. Check them frequently: The time will vary from a minute or 2 for thin rice noodles, to 5 minutes for soba, or up to 12 minutes for wide brown rice noodles. Drain the noodles, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

4. Turn the heat under the asparagus to medium. Add the noodles, snap peas , soy sauce, mirin, and about 1⁄2 cup of the reserved water to the skillet; continue to cook, stirring, until the asparagus and snap peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls, spooning any extra broth in the pan over all. Serve hot.

Variations:
You could easily add chicken or swap the vegetables for other types. The original recipe called for edamame instead of snap peas. Just use what you have on hand!

Adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe

Breakfast Bars

2011-02-22T06:33:00.001-08:00

This is an incredibly delicious, healthy, but most of all easy recipe that I use all the time. It is adaptable to an endless combination of flavors too! I throw in whatever I happen to have on hand. The main component is the honey-peanut butter to bind it together and a cereal as a base so don't stress if you don't have anything else lying around. I've had great success with puffed grains as a base but I've also used Life and Cheerio type cereals too.

Breakfast Bars

1/2 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1-2 cups cereal
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp wheat germ
Optional additions: nuts, dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips

In a small sauce pan melt together the honey and peanut butter until smooth. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and toss until well combined. Pour peanut butter mixture over and stir until everything is well coated. Press into an 8x11 inch pan and cool completely before cutting.

Sweet Potato Fries

2009-09-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am rather nutty about recreating my favorite foods from restaurants in my own kitchen. One of my favorite local places is a restaurant downtown called Tip Top. Not only are they bike friendly but they make a mean sweet potato fry. After trying out a few different recipes here is my favorite recreation of those delectable fries (straight from Martha). Oh, and these are unexpectedly healthy!

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potatoes (about a pound), skins on, scrubbed and cut into 4-inch sticks, each 1/2 inch thick
2 egg whites
spices of your choosing (I prefer salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic powder & paprika)

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees.

While that is warming up start cutting your sweet potato. The skin has almost 3 times the antioxidants than the potato flesh itself so keep those babies on! Typically, sweet potatoes (aka yams) are more dense than it's more common relative so to speed up the cooking process, place them in a microwave safe dish and cover them, cooking them on high for 2 minutes in the microwave. Let them rest for 5 minutes.

While they are resting, beat the egg whites until they are frothy then add the spices. Working in batches toss the fries in the egg mixture, letting all of the excess fall back into the bowl. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. Bake 10 minutes then flip with a spatula, returning them to the oven to bake for 15 more minutes or until golden brown.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

2009-07-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

I havn't put up a new recipe for ages. Forgive me.

Couscous is basically tiny pasta, popular in north African cuisine. If you don't have it you can easily sub brown rice, just make sure you cook it before adding it to the broth.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

Marinade for chicken:
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Couscous:
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 scallion or 1/4 cup onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup golden or dark raisins (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the OJ, honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Put this into a bag and marinade the chicken in it for 20-30 minutes at room temp or up to 2 hours in the fridge. You will be adding this chicken to skewers so if you are using wooden ones, now is a good time to start soaking them in water.

Prepare the couscous in a medium bowl by adding the broth, OJ, scallion, oil, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Bring this to a boil and stir in the couscous and optional raisins. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and set it aside for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and you are done.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. You will broil these for 2 minutes, then baste it with the remaining marinade. Broil 2 minutes longer or until the chicken is fully cooked. For a thicker baste, after removing the chicken from the bag bring the marinade to a boil and reduce it to your desired consistency.

Spoon the couscous onto a plate and top with the chicken after removing it from the skewers.

Macaroni and Cheese Pt. 2

2009-03-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart is one crazy lady but she has brought some great things to my life - parchment paper being the main one. But! second to parchment paper is this macaroni and cheese recipe. It really takes it up a notch from the standard recipe I've always made, which made use of only sharp cheddar. I like using Fontina cheese but you could also use Pecorino Romano or Gruyere.

Macaroni and Cheese

4 tbsp butter
2 1/4 cups milk, hot
1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of black pepper
2 - 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar (I like Cabots)
1 cup (2 oz) shredded Fontina
2 cups elbow macaroni

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble add the flour, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Add the hot milk and continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly.

Remove from heat and add pepper, nutmeg, salt, and cheese. Stir together until melted. While the cheese is melting, prepare macaroni according to the box. Drain when finished and add to the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into 2 quart casserole dish and serve. Top with more cheese if that's how you like it.

I love my crockpot

2009-01-31T14:56:00.001-08:00

I'm a mom to two small kids, I also work from home and have a husband who is going back to college to be an Engineer. He also works, naturally. I say all of that to say that in order to maintain not only my house but my sanity I must at times rely on my crockpot. Don't get me wrong, I use it in a pinch and on the fly but I deeply love that little convenient contraption. It makes my life so much easier! The following recipe is really a deconstructed take on a taco, and it is on of my family's favorites. It is very versatile too - sometimes we use chicken, beef, no protein other times we play around with adding black beans or corn.

2 bell peppers, cut into slices
1 large onion, chopped
10 oz of steak, cut into strips (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
1 diced chipotle in adobo sauce
1 taco seasoning packet

Slice peppers, dice onion, slice your protein, and toss it all in the taco seasoning packet. Dice the chipotle and add 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce from the can, reserving the rest for a later use. Pop this on high for 3-4 hours or 5-7 on low depending on how firm you like your peppers and onions to be.

Serve this over rice with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Cupcake Pops

2009-01-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

i cross posted this entry from my primary journal. subscribers to both, excuse the hiccup.

bakerella's cupcake pops

well i finished the cupcake pops. through sheer will and determination not to let a recipe get the best of me, i finished those stinkin cupcake pops. to be quite honest the err was not on my part but that of the recipe/recipe maker. im not trying to knock bakerella, because i admire and love her & her creative style but if im being frank, the way the recipe is, i find it unimaginable to have the kind of results promised in her photos. the big problem is in the "chill in the freezer for 15 minutes" section. this is supposed to firm up the "dough" enough to allow for proper molding with the cookie cutter. NO WAY. i had my dough in the freezer over an hour and it was still bordering on being too mooshy. so my advice is that if you want to make this recipe freeze the balls overnight before dipping them in the icing or applying the lollipop sticks. once i did that they came out much nicer.

would i make these again? maybe. i don't think i would make the cupcake type, instead i would make one of her many many other types that do not involve such molding. if you do make them, i also recommend getting the dough balls just a tiny bit wet in your hands before putting them through the cookie cutter. otherwise they stick to the metal.

Whole Wheat Banana Hazelnut Pancakes

2009-01-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

My kids are obsessed with pancakes so I am expected to whip up new and creative variations on the general theme. Search my archives for some successful previous endeavors. This recipe tasted almost a little too delicious to be healthy! These disappeared too quickly to take a photo of.

Banana Hazelnut Pancakes

1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (aka filberts)

Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat, spray lightly with oil.

Combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, and nutmeg and set aside. In another bowl combine milk, bananas, egg, and hazelnuts. Then add the wet to the dry and combine until smooth.

Steak

2009-01-07T16:12:00.001-08:00

I defy you to dislike a steak from my house or any one of my forebearers. It's kind of just one of those things we are born loving and knowing how to do. Imagine the irony when I married a vegetarian! Each year for Christmas my parents buy us a share of a locally raised cow and we have been enjoying the bounty. There are many ways to make steak. My preferred method is grilling but seeing as how it is January in central Ohio we're doing this indoors in the cast iron skillet.

Also I will note that organic meats are always going to be your best bet. If you are unable to afford organic meat be sure to trim off as much fat as possible before consuming, as that is where pesticide residue is most concentrated.

Steaks

2 ribeye steaks (or preferred cut)
1 tsp peppercorns
seasoned salt (I prefer something like Lawyr's)
2 tbsp olive oil (or butter if you're feeling decadent)

Rub the spices into the meat while a skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet, heats the oil or butter over medium-high heat.

Sear the meat well and flip once after 5-6 minutes per side or until desired crusty-ness has been achieved. Then remove from heat and put aluminum foil over them. This not only allows the juices to redistribute but actually the foil cooks them longer. Using a meat thermometer to determine desired doneness, eat when the following temperatures have been achieved:

Rare - 120 degrees F
Medium Rare - 125 degrees F
Medium - 130 degrees F

Baked Potato Soup

2009-01-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

My sister in law and brother just had their first baby (Kylie!) this week. So I decided to make them a few meals to fill up their freezer. This soup was one of them and always reminds me of a restaurant in Texas called Salt Grass. They have an AMAZING baked potato soup there!

Oh and this soup was very hard to photograph so i skipped it. Sorry!

Baked Potato Soup

8-12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk*
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped (or 1 large regular onion)
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

* If you like your soup creamy use 1 cup of heavy cream for 1 cup of the milk.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Oreo Truffles

2008-12-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

This recipe is as easy to make as they are delicious. I bring these to many holiday parties and yet somehow I never end up bringing any home. Hmm...

Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos (for Christmas try mint ones!)
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 packages (16 oz total) semi-sweet Bakers chocolate, melted

Smash up the Oreos into crumbled pieces in your favorite fashion. I've used a blender, a rolling pin, a potato smasher, a hammer, and a fork. It's fun just whacking the daylights out of cookies. Add the softened cream cheese to the crumbs and mix together thoroughly.

Roll into 1 inch balls and dip these in the melted chocolate. Place onto wax paper to cool. Refrigerate leftovers.

Meatball Cassoulet

2008-12-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

Cassoulet is a rustic stew from France that's traditionally made using white beans and a variety of meats. Work-saving frozen meatballs and a crock pot make this version extra easy! Navy or cannelli (white kidney) beans are tasty options as well. I used chick peas because that's what I had on hand and that's what my family likes.

Meatball Cassoulet

2 15 oz cans Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable or tomato juice
12 oz frozen cooked Italian meatballs, thawed
8 oz cooked smoked turkey Polish sausage, sliced (Jennie O's is my favorite)
1 finely chopped carrot
1 finely chopped celery stalk
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika

Combine all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low 8-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Chocolate Toffee Pie

2008-12-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

This entry will not have a photo because the pie was devoured in minutes by some of my great friends. And since I did not wish to cut the pie, take out a piece, photograph it, and then put it back before taking it to a party, ahem. You're just going to have to use your imagination. My recipe is an offshoot of one by Kraft. That one utilizes pecans but I know quite a few of my friends either have nut allergies or do not care for the taste of them. But you can check out the pictures over there and they look deliciously similar!

Chocolate Toffee Pie

3 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 oreo pastry shell
2 3 oz packages of instant chocolate pudding
2 cups of 2% milk
1 tub of cool whip, thawed
desired amount of toffee

In a small sauce pan melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and add the condensed milk. Pour the mixture over the pastry shell. Layer your desired amount of toffee over this. I usually do about 3-4 oz.

In a mixing bowl add the pudding mix and the milk and whip for about 2 minutes. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of this over the toffee. Mix half of the Cool Whip with the remaining pudding and put that on top.

Finally top all of that with the remaining half of the Cool Whip. If you want to get all fancy shave some chocolate strips or garnish with more toffee.

AND! the best part of making this, besides my friends delightful reaction was the endless Cool Whip laughs around our house.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2008-12-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

The first Sunday of every month I am on our church's baking team, where I am to bring 10 dozen mini muffins to church to help feed the goers. Here is half of what I made (the other being boring banana nut muffins)

Cranberry Orange Muffins

1 cup dried cranberries (or craisins, or cherries!)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping, if desired
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.

Line muffin tins with papers or lightly brush a tin with butter. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.

Potato Soup with Ham

2008-12-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Each year my brother and I lovingly squabble over who gets to take home the Thanksgiving ham bone so we can transform it into some delicious soup. This year was my year and here is what I made. Sorry no photo. The broth wouldn't look right when I photographed it! So rather than an unappetizing photo, better none at all :) I made a double batch of this!

Potato Soup with Ham

2 cups red potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 tablespoons flour
cayenne pepper
black pepper
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked, cubed ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
fresh chopped parsley or chives for garnish, if desire

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain; reserve 1 cup of the liquid.Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring, until tender. Stir in flour; season with red and black pepper. Cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring. Add potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, and salt; stir well. Add ham; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add cheese; stir until melted. Top with fresh parsley or chives, if desired.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2008-12-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a bowl mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, and oil. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Cherry Cobbler

2008-12-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

My tastes border on fanatical when it comes to cherries. I have yet to find a setting where I do not gravitate & salivate over these little red fruits. This combines my favorite fruit with, in my opinion, a cold weather staple, cobbler.

Cherry Cobbler

base:
2 cups pitted sour cherries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

crisp topping:
1/2 cup walnut bits
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp chilled butter, cut into bits
1 cup rolled oats
1 egg white

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place cherries into the bowl, and toss with the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour. Distribute the cherry mixture evenly over the bottom of a greased 9 X 13 inch dish.

In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients and toss. Then pour over cherry mixture.

Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.

Pizza

2008-11-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

Ah the universally pleasing food - PIZZA! Endless combinations and customizations, that is my favorite part about making pizza. You can make several dough balls and pop them in the freezer, then pull one out and thaw it a few hours before you're ready to get baking! My daughter Olive has a bit of an acid sensitivity so we tend to make a lot of white pizzas with a homemade oil sauce. My favorite white pizza is mozzarella cheese, pine nuts, tomato, and spinach. The below pictured pizza is half pepperoni/cheese, half red onion/tomato/pepperoni

Pizza

dough-

* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve sugar in the water and sprinkle with yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes to get frothy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

Roll out to desired thinness. This recipe makes two thin crust pizzas or one thick. Top as desired.

Bake at 425 15-20 minutes. For extra crispiness put the dough onto the rack while baking.

Pizza Oil-

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp each basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary
1 tsp salt

Store in an airtight jar, let flavors infuse together for several hours. The longer the better! Refrigerate any leftovers.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

2008-11-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

This is the simplest of recipes. I've made these two weeks in a row and they do not last long! I recommend doubling the recipe, which uses up an entire can of pumpkin basically. But if you have other plans for the remainder of the can, by all means stick to the below mentioned

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set it aside.

(Here I used my stand mixer but you can use a large bowl with a hand mixer too.) Cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork. (You can also use a cream cheese frosting for these!)

To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

If I could pay our babysitter in cookies I would!

Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

2008-11-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

I would like to give whomever invented this recipe a big smack on the lips. I think you'll agree. This recipe is worth the wait it takes to make it!

Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts.

In a large bowl mix together the sugar, veggie oil, eggs, pumpkin, and water. Set aside. In another bowl mix together the remaining ingredients. Let stand at room temp for 1 hour.

Scoop into lined or greased muffin tins and bake at 400 for 15 minutes for regular sized muffins, 12-14 minutes for minis.

Chicken Lentil Soup

2008-10-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today is rainy and just blah outside so I decided to make some warm comfort food. We also desperately need groceries so in such situations I always make something with dried beans or other bulk food I tend to push to the back of the cabinet. This recipe makes enough for 4.

I will add here that my camera is still kaput so I am stealing this photo from the Food Network. I swear it looks like this though! Well mine doesnt use any garnish but feel free to if that is your bag.

Chicken Lentil Soup

1 cup of lentils
5 cups of hot water
4 chicken bullion cubes
4 medium tomatoes, chopped (I used roma so if using a larger variety of tomato use less of them)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
1 chicken breast, cooked & cut into bite size pieces

My preferred way of eating lentil soup is the traditional way - having it slightly pureed. I have had it with no amount of pureeing done and it's been equally fabulous. If you don't want yours to be pureed you can add the raw chicken to the pot from the jump and it will cook along with all of the ingredients.

Combine all ingredients except chicken and simmer on low 15-25 minutes. Once the lentils loose their bite and the onions are translucent pop it into a blender and puree it to your desired consistency. Add the chicken and enjoy!

This would be ridiculously easy to vegetarian or vegan-ized.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2008-10-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

The taste of fall to me is pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkin. My husband is obsessed with these muffins. I made jumbo ones and if you go that route add 5-10 minutes of bake time on. As always do the ol' toothpick coming out clean test to check for doneness.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 - 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour the pan or use paper liners.

Mix sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin, and water together in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spice, salt, and chocolate chips. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until blended. Do not overmix.

Pour into muffin tins and bake 20-25 minutes.

Corn & Potato Soup

2008-09-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

I find this to be the perfect soup to eat on a cool evening. It's so satisfying to feel that warmth fill your belly. This recipe (and photo, since it was a rainy day out and I couldn't for the life of me get a good shot) is from Mothering Magazine.

Corn and Potato Soup

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced (I used green onion)
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4-5 ears worth)
2 1/2 cups red potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh pepper
1 quart vegetable stock
6 oz of 1% milk
1 tsp cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a 6-8 quart pot and saute onion, garlic, and cumin over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Then add the corn, potatoes, salt, pepper, and stock. Bring this to a boil then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft. Top it off with the milk and cilantro if you're using it and serve.

SO GOOD!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

2008-09-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

When any of my friends has a baby I make these cookies for them. It helps boost a woman's milk supply with the use of the flax seeds, oats, and brewer's yeast. Though rest assured this recipe will not make you lactate or do anything funny if you're not a new mother :)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp flaxseed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
2-4 tbsp brewer's yeast

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl mix together the water and flaxseeds. Set aside for 3-5 minutes*

Beat together sugars and butter until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Add the flaxseeds and vanilla. Again, beat well.

In a small mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, oats, chocolate chips, and salt. Then add this to the buttery ingredients. Be careful not to overmix of your cookies will become tough.

Scoop onto baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

*This method is great for subbing in all kinds of baking situations where you lack an egg. Just don't try it with an omelet!

Texas Black Bean Soup

2008-09-04T05:31:00.001-07:00

Crockpots, who doesn't love them? As a mom I live by this thing certain days because I don't even have time to finish a hot cup of coffee let alone prepare a nice meal. This recipe was sent to me by my friend Leesa and it did not disappoint!

Texas Black Bean Soup

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, or diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (11 ounce) can Mexicorn, drained
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until heated through.

Peach Muffins

2008-09-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday our church provides 20-30 dozen mini muffins for the goers to enjoy. 2 perhaps 3 weeks ago someone brought in muffins made with the following recipe and I am nearly embarrassed (nearly, but not really) at how many I ate! I tracked this person down friend to friend and she sent me the recipe (from Allrecipes.com). These taste surprisingly similar to snickerdoodles I swear!

Peach Muffins

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 cups peaches, pitted and peeled

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, eggs, and sugar. Stir the oil mixture into the the flour mixture just until moist.

Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. This recipe is for 16 standard muffins but I made 3 dozen mini muffins, and 3 jumbo muffins.

Bake 25 minutes if making traditional cupcake/muffin size or jumbo, about 10-15 for mini muffins. Basically just keep checking until they are brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Bread pt 3

2008-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of me making bread yet? I just love experimenting! For some, finding the right recipe for any given meal or single food seems tedious, exhausting, too much effort, or you'd rather just make do with the meal/food that you've got because that is what you are comfortable with. Me, this is not true. I pick and prod and explore and attempt (sometimes futilely!) to find and prepare the meals that I feel suit my family and I's palette best. Finally I will make peace that this is the bread for us. I have made it 4 times now with much delight for everyone involved. This recipe comes from The Queen herself! (Martha Stewart)

This makes one 9 inch loaf.

Whole Wheat Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp bran
1 cup water
3/4 cup warm whole milk
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (or 2 packets)
2 tbsp coarse ground cornmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill)
3 tbsp + 2 tsp old fashioned rolled oats
3 tbsp ground flaxseeds + 1 tsp whole for sprinkling
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour

Mix the whole wheat flour, bran, and water in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the warm milk and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved then add the yeast. This will take about 5-10 minutes to get frothy.

In a mixing bowl add the flour mixture, the yeast mixture, cornmeal, 3 tbsp oats, 3 tbsp flaxseeds, and salt and mix on medium speed until combined. With you dough hook on, add the bread flour and mix all of this together about 2 minutes until well combined. Once it is, knead it for another 5 minutes until it is elastic.

In a warm, draft free place cover this and let it rise for at least an hour. You can refrigerate this but bring it to room temperature before baking later. Punch it down and line a bread pan with parchment paper and spray or brush it with oil. Turn the dough into it and let it rise again (about 45 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400. Martha says to "mist the oven" when you put it in, then wait 5 minutes and "mist again". If you're into that, go for it, but I just popped mine in and it turned out beautifully. The misting provides a nicer crust apparently. Continue baking 25-30 minutes turning once during baking. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Blueberry Peach Pie

2008-08-15T16:36:00.001-07:00

I bought a few peaches yesterday. haha. I've been really getting into them recently. Last week I made the best blueberry peace pie and it was indeed blogworthy I felt. Sometimes I make my own pastry, sometimes not. Whole Foods usually sells whole wheat crusts which is very convenient.

Blueberry Peach Pie

pastry shell: (this makes two 9inch crusts)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp shortening
4-5 tbsp cold water

Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut shorteing in using a pastry blender until particles are the size of peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves the sides of the bowl. If needed add 1-2 more tbsp of water.

Gather the pastry, halve it into two balls and shape into a flattened rounds on a floured surface. If you like your pastry more flaky, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before proceeding. Roll pastry onto lightly floured surface until it is 2 inches larger than your pie pan. Press this into your pie pan. Cut slits in what will be the top pastry.

filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 1/2 cups fresh sliced peaches (2-3 medium peaches)
1 tbsp butter if desired

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Place blueberries in the bottom of the pastry shell and cover it with half of this mixture. Add a layer of the peaches and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture. Cover with top pastry shell and pinch it, fork it, or tuck it in.

Cover edges with 2-3 inches of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove this foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 35-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust. Cool on wire wrack 2 hours before serving.

Mala String Beans with Tofu

2008-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

One thing that I really enjoy doing is making dishes similar to those I love from restaurants. This is much easier said than done since the staff typically isn't in the habit of passing out recipes for their signature dishes. Also let's keep in mind that the chef has many many years of culinary education and I have oh, none? Well no formal education unless you count the school of life that is. One dish that my husband David orders nearly every time we get Chinese food is spicy bean curd with string beans. This is my homemade version that got rave reviews from him. The beans came from our garden so it was extra delicious!

Before I start I'll interject a tip about working with tofu that I found helpful. This tip comes from my friend Maggie. If you like your tofu firm firm buy extra firm tofu and freeze it. As you are thawing it squeeze as much of the water out of it as you possibly can. I did this by putting the block in a colander and putting my cast iron skillet on top of it. When I came back an hour later, POOF! Something about freezing it and thawing it makes the texture more firm.

Mala String Beans with Tofu

1 package of extra firm tofu
1/2 - 3/4 lbs of fresh green beans
chili oil
canola oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

First cube the tofu into 1-2 inch cubes. Keep in mind these will shrink by maybe 1/2 as they fry up. I wish I had cut mine slightly bigger but the taste and texture was still great. If you leave the cubes too large they won't fry evenly, the inside will be mooshy and I personally dislike a non-uniform texture to my fried tofu. Moving on, add 1/4 cup canola oil and 1/3 cup chili oil or so to a skillet and heat it over medium high heat. Add the tofu and fry it until it is golden brown. If you like it hot add some of the chili flakes at the bottom of the jar. Drain the fried tofu on a paper towel.

While the tofu rests add more of the oils to the skillet. This recipe is easily customizable to how hot you like your food. More chili oil = spicier. So use your gut on how much to use. I like mine mild-medium but my husband is a hot-a-holic so i compromised and my recipe was medium-moderate I'd say. Reheat the skillet to medium-high with the new oil and soy sauce, add the beans. Saute 8 minutes or so until they are crispy but cooked. Only add the garlic the last few minutes or else it will burn!

Bread pt 2

2008-07-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all then you know that in a culinary sense at least, I tend to be constantly honing my craft (or lack thereof). It bothers me if I have made something that doesn't taste how I want or the texture if off, etc. This does not imply I am a fantastic cook. Nope! I am simply saying that when I set my mind on making something I can't rest comfortably until I feel I've made the best darn ___ or ____ that I can muster. So continues my quest for really fantastic bread. So far of the two loaves I've made, this one is my favorite. I'm trying a third recipe out right now so time will tell.

Light Oat Bread

1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Mix flour and oats in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine the warm water with the yeast, butter, and honey and mix well. Let this sit until it is nice and foamy. Once it seems creamy add it to the wet ingredients and kneed for 10-15 minutes. This is where i thank my sweet Jesus for my dough kneading attachment on my kitchenaid mixer. Loosely cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm spot for about an hour - or until it has doubled in size.

While that is rising line a loaf pan with parchment paper and brush with some olive oil. I find this is the simplest way to prevent bread from sticking to the sides of the pan.

Preheat the oven at this point to 350 degrees. Once the dough has doubled punch it down and add it to the pan. Allow it to rise one more time before adding it to the oven and letting it bake for 35 - 45 minutes.

I allowed mine to bake for 35 minutes and it was "light". Next time I'm going to leave it in longer, but it was SO delicious!

ETA: this was my second loaf

Chili

2008-07-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time I was watching Rachel Ray on one of her many tv shows and she said something about it being controversial whether or not chili was to contain beans or not. If that is true my chili is scandalous because I use three different kinds of beans!

Chili

1/2 cup each of red, green, yellow pepper - chopped
1/2 cup onion (I prefer sweet onions to balance the spice)
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can chili beans of desired hotness
16 oz zesty sausage or for a vegetarian chili, Crumbles
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar

This recipe is great because you can make it in a pot on the stove or if you're like me, a busy bee, you can pop it into the crock pot and not fuss with it. Either way brown the meat if using sausage, in a skillet first before adding it to the pot. If using a crock pot set it on high for 4 hours or low for 8. If making this on the stove I usually will add all of the peppers and onion to the pot first and let them soften up before adding the rest of the ingredients. This is a tip for those wanting to make it in a crock too. It can cut your cook time in half simply by giving them a head start in cooking. The brown sugar is my dad's secret ingredient (whoops, not a secret any more!) for balancing the sweet with the spicy. Sometimes I have even shaved in some dark chocolate too

Bread

2008-07-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have tried many many times to make bread. I can make breads like banana, zucchini, etc. but straight up sandwich bread I have struggled with. I think my problem has been that I have focused too much on it being 100% whole wheat and the result has been thick, dense bread that is unfit for human consumption practically. At one of our garden club meetings my friend Jaime had made a loaf of bread that I could not put down and I asked begged her for the recipe. It is as follows:

2 tsp yeast
2 cups flour
1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt, regular
1 tsp salt, large crystal
2 cups water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
optional herbs

Begin by mixing the flour, yeast, & (small grain) salt in 4-5-quart bowl. Add the warm water (90-105 degrees F) and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Stir until smooth; about 2 minutes. Can stir by hand or with paddle on mixer. After a few minutes of stirring, the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a rough, shaggy mass. If the dough is too sticky, add 1-2 tbsp of flour.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30-40 minutes. Additional time in the bowl is just fine. For an early start in the morning, prepare batter to this point in the evening. Leave the covered bowl in a draft-free, warmish place such as the top of the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. with rack in middle of oven.

Line pan with parchment paper (this is necessary) and drizzle 1-2 tbsp on top of the paper. Pour dough into pan and smooth with well-wetted hand. Do not fuss overmuch. Drizzle one or two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on top of dough. Sprinkle with large crystal salt and optional herbs. Place pan on middle shelf in oven. Keep thermostat set for 500 degrees F for two and a half minutes; then reset to complete baking at 450 degrees F. for a total of about 30 minutes more or less depending on how chewy or desired texture (chewy or crunchy). Alternately, keep oven at 500 degrees F for about 23 or 24 minutes..

You can bake two focaccia breads in one domestic oven. Alternate shelves and rotate pans about halfway through the baking. Greater uniformity is likely if batter is mixed in two bowls rather that doubling the recipe in a single bowl. Remove from pan and cool on cutting board or rack. Bread is still baking while it is hot; wait until it is cool before cutting.

Tuscan Pasta with Pine Nuts

2008-06-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite restaurants is Olive Garden, how utterly generic of me right? Every birthday and anniversary, graduation or Mother's Day if given a choice I always went to Olive Garden. One such random meal I ordered my favorite meal - which i should interject was the only thing I ever ordered! - and I was told they had changed menus and they no longer had that item. Crestfallen I sputtered and fumbled trying to find something, anything from their menu as a close approximation. This is when I realized that Olive Garden was not in fact my favorite restaurant, but rather I was just a big fan of one dish! Since then I have discovered a new favorite dish there, which is similar to the following one, which is from my friend Meredith.

Tuscan Pasta with Pine Nuts

1 box whole grain farfalle or penne pasta
5 oz basil pesto
2-3 oz sun dried tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
salt & pepper
1 large chicken breast, grilled

Prepare the box of pasta as per the directions on the box. While the pasta is boiling drain the sun dried tomatoes if they are in oil. I find a paper towel helps here. Once drained, chop them up into bite sized pieces.

Salt and pepper a chicken breast and in a grill pan, on the outside grill, or whatever you have on hand grill it over medium high heat for about 12 minutes on one side, flipping and grilling for another 6-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into bite size pieces.

In a small skillet, over low heat toast the pine nuts until they are just golden brown. Your nose will tell you when they are done.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and place it back into the pot. Add all of the remaining ingredients and toss until incorporated. Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Vegan Cupcakes & Icing

2008-06-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night we hosted a small dinner party with some (rather awesome) friends. Being who I am, when dividing up who brought what I chose dessert. Just picture me doing the "peanut butter jelly time!" dance because that meant I got to make cupcakes & one of my favorite things to make, icing! These are vegan and utterly, no really, utterly delicious! They are moist and rich while the icing is pillowy and light. This recipe is basically from the fantastic cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or vanilla extract if not using vanilla soymilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Long ago I decided that cupcake liners made no sense and were just a waste of paper and source of trash accumulation so I simply sprayed my cupcake pan with cooking spray. Otherwise line them with papers if that is how you roll.

In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the soy milk and the apple cider vinegar and set this aside. It will start to curdle, which you want. Then add the sugar, oil, and whatever type of extract strikes your fancy. Beat this until it is frothy.

In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. In two batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet, gently mixing until no lumps remain. Pour this into your cupcake pans 3/4 of the way to the top and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool completely on wire rack before icing. Speaking of...

Vegan Strawberry "Buttercream" Icing

1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (like Earth Balance)
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup strawberries, pureed

Beat together the shortening and margarine until nice and fluffy. Then, in 1/2 cup increments, lest your find yourself engulfed in a large puffy cloud of sugar, add the powdered sugar, beating well each time. Beat all together on high for about 3 minutes. Then add the strawberry puree. Depending on how juicy your strawberries are you might need to add some powdered sugar to get the right consistency. When finished, pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired and enjoy.

Strawberry Pancakes

2008-05-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

This recipe will please even the pickiest of eaters I promise! My son Augustine, age 3 really loves to bake and cook with me. I asked him if he could make up a recipe and after looking through many cookbooks and our fridge/pantry for ideas he came up with "Strawberry Panpakes!" and this was the result. I made the "panpake" part and he loved, and really ... who wouldn't!?, smashing up all of the strawberries.

Augustine's Strawberry Pancakes
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
2-3 egg yolks, well beaten
2-3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 cup milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 cup smooshed up/pureed strawberries (or any other fruit)

Sift together the first 4 ingredients (whole wheat flour through salt).

Combine and beat the egg yolks, milk and butter. Add this to the flour mixture, blend. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Add the strawberry puree

Fry on medium hot griddle until bubbles are well-formed around edges of pancakes; turn and cook other side 2 minutes. Or bake in waffle iron if you want a waffle instead of a "panpake". Reheat waffle iron before putting another waffle in each time.

Makes 8 pancakes or 4 waffles.

Vegan Veggie Burgers

2008-05-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day is always full of picnics and cookouts. We had/are having 3! On Sunday we had a church picnic and instead of the traditional burgers we whipped up some chick pea burgers. These are vegan and based on a recipe I found from TreeHugger.com. This recipe makes 8 delicioso burgers

Chickpea Burgers
aka Garbanzo Bean Burgers

4 tsp vegetable oil
3 green onions (including tops) chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 cup diced sweet red and/or green pepper
Half tomato, chopped
2 cans (30 oz total) chick-peas drained and rinsed
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp cilantro or parsley, chopped
In nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook onions, garlic, oregano and chili powder, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add red pepper and tomato. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until pepper is tender and liquid is evaporated.
In food processor, mix pepper mixture with chick-peas; transfer to bowl. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste until well combined. Pressing firmly, shape into burgers.
 On the grill or in nonstick skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat and cook burgers for 4 minutes on each side or until heated through.     

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

2008-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today happiness is a delicious muffin served with a hot cup of tea, taking in the cool morning breeze. The title of this muffin is a bit deceiving, as it contains 4 different kinds of fruit mixed in. I debated whether or not to simply call them "Fruit Muffins" or not. Regardless, they are scrumptious, healthy, and perfect for a morning such as we've been experiencing here lately.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
or Whole Wheat Fruit Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 cup chopped apples (I recommend Granny Smith)
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used raisins, apricots, cherries, and cranberries)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease one 12-cup muffin tin. I made some Big Daddy muffins too, delicious!

Lightly beat egg in a small bowl. In another bowl mix dry ingredients thoroughly. In a third bowl, mix all of the remaining ingredients. Gently folding in egg. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir until barely moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

Fill greased muffin tins to the top to ensure you get those delicious, pillowy muffin tops. Bake about 20 minutes until lightly browned.

Rocky Road Bars

2008-05-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

My husband had a particularly bad day one day so, being as he is a real chocolate/sweets junkie i decided to go all out and make him something extra special. This recipe is slightly more time consuming than most things I've made in the past as far as assembly goes, in that it has three separate layers to make before putting it into the oven. Well worth the effort though, trust me!!

Rocky Road Bars

Base
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I used 1/2 peanuts 1/2 pecans. It's versatile)

Filling
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened, reserving 2 oz. for frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate - again versatile)
2 cups mini marshmallows

Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut up
2 oz cream cheese (reserved from earlier)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch pan. In large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter and 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat. Then stir in 1 cup of flour and all remaining base ingredients; mix well. Spread in greased and floured pan and set aside.

In your mixer bowl, combine 6 oz. of the cream cheese, 1/4 cup margarine, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 egg; beat 1 minute at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Spread over chocolate mixture; sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake an additional 2 minutes.

While marshmallows are baking, in large saucepan, combine 1/4 cup butter, milk, 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate and the reserved 2 oz. cream cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour frosting over puffed marshmallows and lightly swirl with knife to marble. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Molten Chocolate Cookies

2008-05-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

My camera is broken so instead of posting what my cookies look like I had to "borrow" one from another website with an equivalent recipe to show how they turned out. This really bothers me but let's make lemonade out of lemons shall we?

Molten Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 bars of dark chocolate (about 4 oz)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup flour
12 small store bought cookies (Oreo, Chips Ahoy, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and while that is heating up line a muffin tin with liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray.

In a medium sized pan melt together the dark chocolate and the butter, stirring constantly. When it is melted, remove from heat and set aside. In a mixing bowl beat together the eggs, powdered sugar, & flour with a whisk until it is well blended. Then add this to the melted chocolate mixture and whisk it all together.

Place one cookie upside down in the bottom of each liner and fill the rest with the batter. Bake for 8 minutes or until the outside of the cookie is firm but the middle is still gooey. Remove from pan and place onto plates. Garnish with powdered sugar or Cool Whip.

Soup

2008-04-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ahh soup, the ultimate meal in my opinion. Last week I had the flu, hence no updates. What am I Super Woman? So now that I'm on the mend and in need of some replenishing, soup fits the bill to a T providing healthy vegetables & lots of fluids. Last night I made the chicken noodle. Here are a few of my favorite soup recipes.

Minestrone

1/4 cup oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 cups veggie or chicken broth
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. basil
1/2 cup uncooked macaroni (I precook to make it ready faster when I'm in a hurry)
16 oz. can chopped tomatoes (I also add tomato paste as well - I love tomatoes!)
16 oz. can beans (kidney beans, navy beans are best)
10 oz. package frozen spinach

Saute onions, celery, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, oregano, thyme and basil. Bring to boil an simmer for 5 minutes. Add macaroni and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Add tomatoes, beans, spinach and veggies and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Allow soup to stand 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and Italian bread.

Chicken Noodle Soup

4 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 medium or 1 small onion, diced
4 cups water
4-5 tsp bullion
3 cups diced, uncooked chicken breasts
2 tsp parsley
2 cups desired noodles
minced garlic, optional
salt and pepper

In a medium, saute onion, carrots, and celery until almost cooked through. Add the bullion and water and bring to a boil adding the chicken and noodles. Follow the directions on the package of noodles to determine how long to boil the soup. Add the garlic the last few minutes of cooking. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper to your desired taste.

Beef and Barley Soup

4 cups water
2 beef bullion cubes
1 medium potato, cubed
1 medium onion, cubed
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried garlic powder
1/2 pound boneless beef cut into cubes
1 cup quick cooking barley
cracked pepper to taste
3/4 cup peas

In large pot add water, beef bullion cubes (dissolved in a small amount of the water, heated in separate cup), and all the ingredients except the barley. Cook approximately 30 minutes at a minimum heat, or until meat is fully cooked and potatoes are soft. Add the quick cooking barley and cook another 15 minutes. Before serving, add peas. Serve hot. Add salt to taste. A very easy shortcut would be to use beef stock instead of making your own. Omit water and bullion in this situation.

Grilled Chicken variations

2008-04-23T05:56:00.001-07:00

To grill chicken is simple, whether you're doing it inside on a grill pan or George Foreman (love these by the way!), or outside of a traditional grill. If outside, put down a layer of foil and punch holes in it. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and place over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. Then reduce the heat to low and cook about 10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. If you don't have a good meat thermometer check the juices of the chicken. If it is clear, it's done. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes before cutting

In our house, warm weather is all about grilling. In fact I might venture to say we grill TOO much if that is possible. My favorite things to grill is chicken because it is so versatile and light. Usually I will grill a few extra chicken breasts at a time for use later in the week. Here are two very simple and delicious recipes we made for dinner last night with grilled chicken.

I call this "Garbage Can" Salad because I usually dump everything but the kitchen sink on top of it, anything from green onions to peas, ham, and various cheeses. Here is what I made last night.

"Garbage Can" Salad with warm Grilled Chicken

Bibb lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
1 large carrot, chopped or shredded
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese
garlic butter croutons
1 grilled chicken breast, cut into strips
desired amount of dressing

I really should call this entry "His & Hers Chicken" because this shows the different personalities of chicken I think, and those who eat it. I err on the lighter side of things, whereas my husband likes things slightly heavier. This sandwich was a huge hit with him as you can see.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

1 grilled chicken breast
2 tbsp pasta sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
whole wheat hoagie style bun

Silence (when your mouth is too full to speak...) is the best compliment

Other options for grill chicken: Quesadillas, Chicken Pot Pie, a Hawaiian pizza

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

2008-04-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today is my daughter Olive's first birthday and I wanted to make something special for her. I flipped through many many recipes when trying to decide what to make for her first real taste of sugary yumminess (that I know of... I'm throwing a suspicious look in the direction of Grandpa). Perhaps we are a bit strict in this department, who knows, but we try to eat as much organic, healthy, fresh foods that are made at home that we can afford. We feel it is especially important to try to do this for our children. So while birthdays are certainly a time to celebrate, a healthy spin is welcomed if there is one. I based this recipe from one by Martha Stewart of all people and all I'm going to say is uhh... this cake didn't make it to see the light of tomorrow's day! I must admit that this recipe particularly strikes my fancy, as they say, because it allows me to do two of my three favorite things in cooking - zesting and making frosting! (my third being chopping onions). I am officially putting my Jenny-guarantee on this recipe for enjoyment.

Baby Carrot Cake

4 medium carrots, grated
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
shortening and flour for cake pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two standard sized cake pans. Set aside

Grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor if you have one. Measure 2 cups of carrots and place in medium mixing bowl. Add raisins, walnuts, applesauce, zest and juice from the lemon and toss together.

With your mixer, pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. With motor running, pour in oil and eggs; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add carrot mixture; pulse. Pour into pans; bake about 40 minutes, until tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cool in pans on rack for 20 minutes. Remove; cool completely before adding frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup cup butter
2 or 3 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with your mixer on low speed until it is smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. I have learned the hard/messy way not to add too much powdered sugar and once. Talk about a sugary cloud! Anyways, beat this on low speed until it is smooth again.

This recipe makes enough to frost a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake or one 13 x 9 inch sheet cake generously. Be sure to store these cakes in the fridge as the cream cheese frosting will spoil otherwise!

Jenny's Note: I made three teensy cakes in 6x2 pans because this was for a baby. Also Olive is wild about strawberries so that is why I added them to her cake. Personally, I wouldn't add them but when it's your birthday why not get the cake you want?

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

2008-04-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Early this year I swore to myself that I would attempt, nay! perfect a roasted chicken. This was my first crack at it but I must say I consider it a smashing success. Really, roasting a chicken seems a little "out there" to me but I was shocked at how simple and delicious it was. This recipe has a very low degree of difficulty but will fool all of your dinner guests when you put it on a platter! Nothing says "home" and "comfort" like a warm roasted chicken with delicious root vegetables.

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

1 whole chicken, 3-5 lbs (note: I highly recommend an organic bird!) salt
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp thyme or rosemary
4 carrots, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Wash the bird inside and out with cold water, then pat it dry with paper towels. Remove any innards that may have come with it before washing. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and set aside.

Chop onion and quarter the carrots, arranging them around the outside of a roasting pan (proportionate to the size of the bird you chose), leaving room for the chicken to be placed in the center.

Place peeled (or minced, whichever you prefer) garlic, half of the lemon, and your chosen herbs into the cavity of the chicken. Then place the bird into the middle of the roasting pan and drizzle the olive oil all over it. Season with salt and pepper.

Place pan in the center of the oven and roast for 20 minutes before turning down the heat to 350 degrees and roasting for another 60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads between 170 and 175 degrees. Upon removing the chicken from the oven, allow it to rest for about 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute before carving.

Enjoy!

S'more Pie

2008-04-09T06:44:00.000-07:00

One thing my family and I enjoy doing is camping during the warm months of the year. I think we could all agree that the best part of camping is s'mores right? Bring home some of that ooey gooey-ness with this pie.

S'more pie

16 graham squares, finely crushed (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
8 oz cool whip
4 bars of milk chocolate, chopped and divided

First make the pie crust my mixing the graham crumbs, butter, and sugar together and pressing the mixture onto the bottom of a 9- inch pie plate. Set this aside.

Mix the marshmallows and milk in a pot on the oven and heat on low, stirring constantly, until the mallows have melted. Refrigerate this about 40 minutes or until it has completely cool.

Gently stir cool whip and 3/4 of the chocolate into the marshmallow mixture then spoon this into the crust, topping it all with the remaining chocolate.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Wake Up Casserole

2008-04-06T13:55:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you but on the weekends I enjoy special breakfasts that involve a little more time and effort. Heaven knows that I'm not about to break out the eggs Benedict on a Monday morning after being awakened every few hours by a teething baby the previous night. My go-to weekend breakfast casserole is based on one from my creative mother in law and it is as easy as it is delicious! In fact I make this nearly every Christmas for brunch.

Wake Up Casserole

2 1/2 cups shredded potatoes
5 eggs
8 oz of your preferred cheese
1 cup milk
4-5 pieces of bacon OR 3-4 oz sausage
dash of salt

If you want to skip a step, you can purchase store bought shredded hash browns. Otherwise, skin and shred two potatoes then squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can from them using paper towels. Place them into a skillet with some hot oil and fry them for to desired crispiness adding salt and pepper to your liking. Place shredded potatoes in a single layer in a grease pie pan or 9 x 9 casserole dish. Crisp bacon or brown sausage and crumble. Mix that with eggs, milk, salt, & cheese and pour that over the potatoes. You could easily add your favorite vegetables here for a healthy boost - shredded carrot, red or green pepper, green onion, etc. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.

Potato Croquettes

2008-04-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

This recipe is directly from one of my favorite cookbooks, Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. To me, these are sort of like comfort food with a twist as they are composed of meat and potatoes. These are a real crowd pleaser, even for my toddler who can be a finicky eater.

Croquettes

4 potatoes
3/4 lb ground beef
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp salt
about 1 cup bread crumbs
about 6 tbsp olive oil
desired amount of parsley

Put a pan of salt water on to boil & add the unpeeled potatoes to it. Boil, covered for about 20 minutes or until they are soft and completely cooked through. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the potatoes and when they are cool enough to handle, peel them. In a wide bowl, mash them well. Add the beef, egg, cheese, salt, and mix thoroughly with your hands.

Roll the mixture into small walnut sized balls, then flatten slightly into an oval shape. Put the bread crumbs onto a plate and pat the croquettes into it to coat both sides. Drizzle about 2 1/2 tbsp of olive oil into a large baking pan, spreading it around with the back of a spoon. Pack the croquettes like tight little soldiers on the pan and drizzle a few more tablespoons of oil.

Put the pan in the oven and bake the croquettes about 30 minutes, or until the underside is golden and crispy. Turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes or longer if necessary.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a scattering of salt if you think they need it.

Makes about 40 croquettes.

Stuffed Chicken (with three types of stuffing)

2008-03-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Stuffed Chicken

Stuffing (3 recipes below)
4 bone-in, skin on chicken breast halves
2 tsp. butter, melted
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9 X 9 inch pan. Prepare desired stuffing. Loosen skin from chicken by inserting fingers between skin and meat; gently separate in center, but leave skin attached at sides. Spread 1/4 of the stuffing evenly between meat and skin of each breast. Smooth skin over breasts, tucking under loose areas. Place chicken, skin sides up, in pan. Brush with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered 45-55 minutes or until done.

Smoked Gouda and Spinach Stuffing
30 oz. frozen, chopped spinach
1 3 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup gouda or swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Squeeze spinach to drain and spread on paper towels and pat dry. Mix remaining ingredients. Stir in spinach.

Cranberry-Wild Rice Stuffing
1 cup hot water
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large onion
1 6 oz. package of stuffing mix, prepared

Apple-Hazelnut Stuffed Chicken
1/4 cup hazelnuts, thinly sliced
1 medium apple, chopped
1 3oz. package of cream cheese, softened

Meatloaf

2008-03-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last week or so my entire family was experiencing some level of illness. Couple that with cold weather (snow!), moving, and all of life's other stresses and I decided to whip up some comfort food. Nothing says "home" to me like some meatloaf! Here is my meatloaf recipe, the secret ingredient - carrots!

Meatloaf

1 lb lean ground beef (the leaner the better)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried sage
pinch of salt & pepper
1 tbsp mustard
1 1/2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup of dried whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp grated carrot
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp bbq sauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the ketchup and barbecue sauce. Form into a loaf and place on an ungreased baking sheet or inside a loaf pan. Then combine ketchup and barbecue sauce and spread evenly over top of the loaf.

Pop it into the oven (uncovered) for 1 hour or so, or until a meat thermometer reads at least 160 degrees.

Enjoy!

apologies

2008-03-18T19:05:00.001-07:00

I'm so sorry guys! I just noticed that people were leaving comments to the recipe posts. Somehow they were not making it to my inbox! Playing catch up now!

Falafel

2008-03-18T10:33:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite ethnic diets is from the Middle East. This can range anywhere from Lebanon, Israel, Greece, Palestine, Egyptian, Iran, Iraq, etc. Specifically I love Lebanese food (which is also considered part of the Mediterranean diet family too) and one of my favorite items is falafel. This is a really common fast food item there according to my friend wikipedia. Tahini, which is a sauce made from sesame seeds is a major component of Lebanese cooking. Aladdin's is the best place in town for Chicken Lentil Stew, I hope someday to pilfer said recipe from them somehow. Anyways- when I want to make falafel at home vs ordering take out or making it from a box, here is my favorite recipe:

Falafel

2 cups water
1 cup white fava or garbanzo beans (canned)
1 egg
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp. fresh parsley
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coriander
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. red pepper
vegetable oil

Mash warmed beans with a fork, adding 2-3 tbsp of the liquid from the can if necessary. Do not use a blender or food processor though. Stir in remaining ingredients except for oil. The mixture should be thick. Cover and let stand for one hour. Pinch off 1 inch pieces into rounds and flatten. Let stand 30 minutes. Heat 2 inches of oil in a 3 quart sauce pan to 375ºF. Fry several at a time 2-3 minutes each, turning once until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Serve on pita bread or crumbled onto a salad.

Pi day!

2008-03-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am a bit of a nerd, surprised I know. Because of these leanings I always remember that March 14 is Pi Day. You know, 3.14159 etc. Get it? 3.14? So to celebrate the day I give you my favorite apple pi(e) recipe today.

Apple Pie

crust
1/2 cup water, ice cold
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks of cold butter

In a bowl, mix together flour and salt. Omit salt if you are using salted butter by the way. My secret to getting the butter into the flour well is to get out my grater and sort of shave it into the bowl. It saves time too! If grating isn't your style cup the butter into 1/4 inch pieces. It doesn't have to be exact, in fact i love irregular pieces here and there that are extra flaky. Work the butter into the flour mixture for a few minutes before slowly adding the ice water little by little until it forms a good consistency. Then cut the dough in half and flatten each one. At this point I wrap them up in plastic and put them into the fridge for about an hour to rest and firm up.

A word on apples before I go on. Not every apple is ideal for baking. Some are sweet, others tart. In my (and many others) opinion(s) the best apples for baking are: Granny Smith, Greening, Rome, & Newton Pippin.

filling
8 cups of apples, thinly sliced dash of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour handful of caramels (if you're feeling frisky)

Wash, pare, and thinly slice the apples. The caramels are totally optional but I really love what they add do the pie.

In a saucepan combine all of the filling ingredients and cover & cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. By this point moisture from the apples should have worked it's way out and will be creating a bubbly sauce. At the end of 10 minutes take off the lid and stir it until the consistency is right. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 325

After the crust has rested in the fridge for an hour, flour up your counter and rolling pin and start rolling it out until it fits inside a pie dish. Then add the filling and do the same for the top crust, making sure you cut slits, or an X, or whatevera in the top before putting it in the oven.

Bake for 40-50 minutes but let your eyes and nose tell you when the pie is gone. If it's flaking and beautiful, it's done.

My husband thanks me for my apple pies. As you can see, he's kind of a fan of such things.

Granola

2008-03-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

A few years ago i set out on a quest to make the perfect granola. In my searches I've come up with two very reliable recipes that I've sort of smooshed together into my own version. These would be one by of one my oldest friend's Nicole and another by Alton Brown. For me, the perfect granola is chewy, sweet, and most of all healthy. I think this recipe fulfills all of those requirements and then some. I also love how customizable it is. My husband and I have pretty different tastes when it comes to granola so I usually wind up making two different batches switching out nuts (he loves peanuts and I love almonds & walnuts) and also the fruit (I have an unspoken daily cherry regiment to keep up after all but my husband is a fan of raisins). In my opinion this is best served with Stonyfield Farm's Organic Strawberry Yogurt.

Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup chopped hazlenuts
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup coconut
3/4 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon in a pinch)
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins, cherries, figs, etc.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, flax, wheat germ, and brown sugar. In another bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, honey, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add dried fruit of your liking and enjoy!

Chocolate Brownies & Icing

2008-03-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

I love the icing that I've paired with these brownies because it is so versatile! This is my favorite icing ever! This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of icing.

Chocolate Brownies

2/3 cup butter
5 oz bittersweet baking chocolate
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup walnuts
2 tbsp strong coffee or 1 tsp espresso powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 13 X 9 inch pan with shortening. Melt butter and chocolate in a sauce pan on the stove, over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes.

Beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs together on high for 5 minutes. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture on low. Then beat in flour just until it is blended. Do not overmix. Add walnuts & coffee then spread in pan. Bake about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before applying icing. Cut and enjoy.

Buttercream Icing

1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

With an electric mixer beat butter until light and fluffy. Then reduce the speed down to medium and add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Be warned that because of the airiness of the sugar it tends to fly around a bit. Scrape the bowl well after each addition or as necessary. Mix in the vanilla in at this point. Increase speed to high and beat about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Icing Variations -

Chocolate Buttercream - prepare Vanilla Buttercream as described above. Melt 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate on the stove top on low, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely before adding to the Buttercream.

Berry Buttercream - prepare Vanilla Buttercream as described above. Mix in 3-4 tsp of your favorite berry jam. This isn't really suitable for these brownies, but they are fantastic on cupcakes! (but that's another entry!)

Chocolate Vegan Icing #1 -

1 cup sugar
6 tbsp corn starch
4 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cocoa in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in the water. Heat over medium until it gets thick and starts to boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes (make sure you don't boil too long, or it will set like toffee). Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla

Chocolate Vegan Icing #2 -

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cups corn starch
2 cups soy milk (i like to use vanilla flavored personally)
1/2 tsp vanilla (possibly omit if using vanilla soymilk)

In a medium sauce pan whisk together sugar and cocoa. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the corn starch and soy milk until no lumps are left then add that to the saucepan. Cook this over medium heat, scraping the bowl constantly, until the mixture is glossy, About 7 minutes or so. remove from heat and add the vanilla. Cool completely before adding to cupcakes.

Broccoli Cheddar Loaf

2008-03-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

Someone requested that I post this recipe on my blog. I had made this with two different fillings for a party celebrating our daughter's baby dedication. The best part - the dough is the same recipe iI use for pizza dough! So try making a double batch and save yourself from time and effort! The dough freezes very well. Another cool variation might be to use phyllo dough for a flakier crust or instead of the broccoli add ham. I cut this into 2-3 inch slices, cut on the diagonal, and served it as an appetizer amongst other foods but it's versatile enough that I think it would work as a main course easily. If you're in a pinch or just don't feel like hassling with making everything from scratch just buy some fresh or frozen pizza dough! This recipe is enough for two loafs or one loaf & one pizza.

BROCCOLI CHEDDAR LOAF

dough -
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten (for the top)

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled. Place dough on lightly floured surface; flatten slightly with hands, then roll into 12x8-inch rectangle with rolling pin. (If dough is difficult to roll, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 min. before rolling out.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees at this point

filling-

1 cup cheddar cheese

5 oz broccoli, cooked
1/4 cup miracle whip
1 egg, beaten (for the top)

Mix all ingredients of the filling except the egg together and spread evenly over dough.

Moisten edges of dough with water. Starting at one of the long sides of dough, fold one-third of the dough over filling, then repeat with other long side of dough. Firmly pinch ends of dough together to seal. Place, seam-side down, on lightly greased baking sheet.

Cut three diagonal slits in top of dough with kitchen shears. Brush evenly with the egg for a golden crust.

35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min. before slicing to serve.

Filling variation-
ham & swiss, ham & cheddar (I've personally made this and it's GOOD!), turkey & gouda, spinach & feta.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

2008-03-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Not only are these muffins insanely good but they are also insanely good for you! No sugar, white flour, and minimal oils used make this recipe an excellent snack at any hour of the day. We love them for breakfast especially, try them heated slightly with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or peanut butter on top! A great source of fiber, folic acid, and potassium and they are low in fat. My favorite part is that they are so portable that I can give them to the kids on the go with no guilt! These are easy to freeze for later too.

WHOLE WHEAT BANANA MUFFINS

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup honey
3 eggs
1 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp hot water
2 cups smooshed ripe bananas (3-5 bananas)
1/2 cup hot water

1. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and wheat germ.

2. Beat together olive applesauce, cream cheese, honey & baking powder. Then add olive oil.

3. Mix hot water with flax seeds and set aside to allow to dissolve. Meanwhile, beat in eggs one at a time, making sure to combine well before adding the next. After all eggs are in, add flax seeds.

4. Add bananas and mix until combined

5. Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water; mix well after each addition.

6. Spoon batter into 24 greased muffin cups; bake at 325 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and test done.

7. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Try one of the optional variations: 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries, 3/4 cup walnuts or pecans