January 1st, 2007
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Blueberry Bran Muffins
Mix in bowl until blended: 1 ½ c. buttermilk; 2 large eggs; 2 T. butter, melted; ¼ c. oil; ¼ c. real maple syrup
Add: 1 ½ c. All Bran cereal
Mix to combine and allow to sit at room temp. for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add in: 1/3 c. minced dried apricot, mango OR peaches (I used peaches this time)
In separate bowl, sift together 1 ½ c. AP flour; ½ whole oats, or packaged 7-Grain cereal (like Bob’s Red Mill), ¼ c. brown sugar, 1 t. EACH baking powder and baking soda, ¼ t. salt.
Add in wet ingredients, blend only until incorporated; stir in 1 c. frozen blueberries
Scoop into muffin tins sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lined with paper cups. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes until tops are firm and slightly browned. Cool 5 min. in pan and remove to cooling rack.
December 11th, 2006
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Chewy Chocolate Bites
4 squares Bakers unsweetened baking chocolate
1 1/2 sticks butter (no subs or all of the above mentioned will fail, trust me)
2 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
Preheat oven to 350. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat (or use double boiler) until only small pieces remain. Remove from heat and stir gently to melt completely. Stir in sugar, blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, mix well. Chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. Shape into 1″ balls and place on greased cookie sheets about 2″ apart. Bake 8 minutes or until just set. Do not overbake. (again, trust me, don’t make ’em crispy ‘cuz all that stuff I said earlier? Yeah, ain’t gonna happen) Allow to cool on baking sheet about a minute then transfer to wire racks.
These are fabulous all by themselves, a dense chewy and rich cookie with amazing chocolate taste. However, you could up the Christmas love by embellishing them any and all ways. Crush some candy canes and sprinkle over the top before baking; press pieces of peanut butter cups in them after they come out of the oven; drizzle them with melted white chocolate (or my fav….melted cappucino chips….this, I swear, could solve world peace) or how about spreading them with a thick layer of mocha icing?? The possibilities are endless and as long and varied as everyone’s imagination. Bottom line…..MAKE them! Do yourself a favor if the omnipresent and ridiculous commercialism of Christmas is in any way getting to you and making you want to hibernate, go into hiding with a container of these and let the rest of the world just fall away. I don’t doubt it would do you wonders.
November 17th, 2006
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Coconut Tempters
2 c. sugar
½ c. cocoa
½ c. milk
½ c. butter
½ c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
3 c. quick cooking oatmeal
½ c. coconut (optional, but yummy)
Place sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a medium saucepan and cook to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stir until dissolved. Pour over oatmeal and coconut and mix thoroughly, then beat until mixture begins to thicken. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper or silpat and let cool.
A decadent and delicious recipe for Three Layer Bars (also called Nainamo Bars in other parts of the country/world) can be found here on my site . My mother made these bars every Christmas and they are a wonderful treat. I make them at Christmas time for the family still. We all just love them. Another treat from my childhood is Coffee Toffee Bars. I am not sure why they have ‘Toffee’ in the title, as there is nothing even remotely like toffee in them. They are a delightful chocolate/almond/mocha flavored shortbread with a thin and delicate almond glaze over the top. My mom had a specific jelly roll pan that she made them in, and we never referred to it any other way than “the Coffee Toffee bar pan”. It was a heavy steel pan, worn and well used with ornate curved handles. I wish with everything that I am that I still had that pan.
Coffee Toffee Bars
2 ¼ c. sifted flour
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 c. butter
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. almond extract
1 T. instant coffee
1 pkg. chocolate chips
Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Cream butter. Add brown sugar and cream well. Blend in almond extract and instant coffee. Add dry ingredients, then chocolate chips. Press into cake pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 degree.
Almond Glaze (double all ingredients)
Combine 1 T soft butter, ¾ c. powdered sugar, 1/8 t. almond extract. Add 1 T. milk until frosting is of spreading consistency. Frost bars while still warm.
Here’s a refrigerator dough cookie, delicately flavored and just fabulous. They would be delicious using real lemon juice instead of extract, and possibly a little lemon zest as well.
Lemon Crisps
½ c. butter
½ c. shortening
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ t. lemon extract
3 c. sifted flour
3 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in each egg, then flavoring. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Form dough into rolls, 2 “ in diameter, wrap in wax paper then chill overnight. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into thin wafers and bake approximately 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Keep dough chilled between baking.
Some call them Molasses Cookies, others call them Gingersnaps. We used the latter, and this recipe is wonderful. It was one of my Mom’s favorites. We always made a double batch. Gingersnaps: Combine 3/4 c. shortening, 1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed and 1 egg until fluffy. Add ¼ c molasses and beat well. Mix together 2 c. sifted flour, ¼ t. salt, 2 t. baking soda, 1 t. each ginger and cinnamon and ½ t. cloves. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Chill dough for several hours or overnight. Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake 12-15 minutes at 350° F.
One more…..another of our favorites growing up. I could eat a whole pan of these.
Peanut Butter Fingers (double all ingredients for a 9×13 pan): Cream together: ½ c butter, ½ c sugar, ½ c brown sugar, firmly packed. Blend in: 1 unbeaten egg, 1/3 c. peanut butter, ½ t. baking soda , ¼ t. salt. Stir in: 1 c. flour, 1 c. quick cooking oatmeal. Spread mix in 8″ cake pan and bake 20-25 minutes at 350° F. Sprinkle with chocolate chips when hot and spread evenly when melted.
October 26th, 2006
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Chewy Cheesecake Cookies (NOT a low fat recipe)
Blend together one stick of room temperature butter (no subs!), with one 3-oz package of softened cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add in one cup of white sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in one cup of AP flour until incorporated. Do not overmix. Scoop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets and bake at 375 until slightly browned around the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool for several minutes before removing them from the sheets.
October 18th, 2006
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Enchiladas
Saute one pound of chicken strips or boneless chicken breast until browned, and most of pink is gone. Remove from pan, allow to cool slightly and chop into bite sized pieces. Add one medium chopped onion to pan and saute 5 minutes. Add two chopped bell pepper of your choice and saute 5 more minutes. Stir in one can drained (not rinsed) black beans, one can drained tomatoes, one can drained hominy and one can chopped green chilies. Cook for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan and fill with about a half cup of filling. Sprinkle on about 2 tbsp. shredded cheese. Roll up tightly with the seam down. Repeat until pan is full, or you run out of tortillas or filling. (as an aside- this filling tasted wonderful on a tortilla chip, and we saved some of it for munching!) Pour enchilada sauce over top and add shredded cheese. Bake at 375d until hot and bubbly.
This would be just as good without chicken, and the vegetables can be modified to whatever you like. I have used zucchini, frozen corn and chunks of leftover squash with equally good results. It’s all about what you like.
October 3rd, 2006
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Pumpkin Maple Muffins
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk these ingredients together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour (or substitute any whole wheat flour)
1/2 C. pecan meal (1.5 oz. pecans, ground)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
In a separate bowl, whisk together these ingredients:
1/3 C. maple syrup
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. pumpkin puree (I use canned)
1/2 C. buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/3 C. raisins
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Immediately spoon batter into a greased 12-cup muffin tin.
- Place in the center of a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Check muffins after 20 minutes, muffins are done when you lightly touch the top of one of the muffins and it springs back.
- Let cool for five minutes in the pan and then remove muffins and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Here’s what I did differently. I had no pecans, and I am not a huge fan of them (my mother was the Pecan Queen in a previous life, and then she became my mom and made everything with pecans….I, however, have a choice now) but I did have almonds so I ground up those and used those instead. I had no real buttermilk, so I did the milk/vinegar trick. I used 2 tbsp. of butter instead of 4, and subbed in some unsweetened applesauce and of course, since I am a flaxseed freak, I ground 2 tbsp. of those little beauties and added them too. I skipped the raisins.
FABULOUS…moist, earthy, wholesome, grain-goodness and so flavorful.
And the best part, naturally, Griffin took one bite of a ‘warm from the oven’ specimen and fell over on the carpet, rolling around moaning. He is following his Mom’s footsteps in his passionnate love for anything food. Plus, he really doesn’t like pecans.
recipe from Nicole, of Pinch My Salt food blog
September 19th, 2006
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Strawberry Banana Bread
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. oil
¾ c. unsweetened applesauce
¼ c. vanilla yogurt
3 eggs, beaten
2 c. mashed strawberries
2 mashed ripe bananas
Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix oil and eggs until blended slightly, add to dry and stir together until blended. Stir in fruit. Bake in two standard greased loaf pans at 350° for approximately one hour. Cool in pans, then on cooling rack.
September 18th, 2006
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Poblano Rice with Vegetables
2 fresh poblano peppers
1 c. frozen corn
1 c. milk
2 c. long grain rice
2 t. cooking oil
2 c. chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot (or equiv. of shredded)
2 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Bay leaf
Halve seed and core the poblano peppers, rub with oil and broil until skins are blistered. Place peppers in bowl and cover to steam. When cooled completely, remove skins and chop.
Rinse corn under cool water to thaw slightly, and then place corn and milk in blender and process until smooth, set aside. In a large skillet with a tight lid, sauté onion in oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add zucchini, carrot and peppers, sauté another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove vegetables to bowl. Add rice to pan and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Add in vegetables and stir to combine. Slowly pour in corn/milk mix, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer, covered until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir to fluff. Remove bay leaf before serving.
The original of this recipe came from AllRecipes.com but has undergone the Extreme Recipe Makeover edition in my kitchen, as most recipes do when they get in my eager little hands. There are a few critical steps to this recipe that really add to the final taste that shouldn’t be skipped, namely the pepper roasting and the corn and milk mixture. It may add a bit of extra time, but the final result is worth it. You can alter the amount of rice to suit your needs, but make sure as a rule that you double the liquid, using the corn/milk mix as part of that. The added veggies can be suited to your tastes as well. These are from the original recipe, I have subbed shredded carrot for the diced with good results.
September 10th, 2006
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Harvest Stew
1# pork loin or roast, cut into 1” pieces with fat trimmed; 2 small onions, diced; 1 medium apple, peeled and diced; 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes with juice; 1 14-oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed.
Peel and dice the following:
2 red garnet yams, 3 medium carrots, 2 parsnips
Toss together in a plastic bag with 4-6 small cloves of garlic, 2 T. canola oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast on parchment covered cookie sheet at 400° until fork tender.
Sauté onion until slightly browned. Remove from pan. Sauté pork until browned, draining off any liquid. If desired, add about 1 c. rich red wine and reduce to half. Add back in onions, apple and tomatoes with their juice. Rinse the tomato can with a cup of water and add that as well. Simmer, covered, until meat is fork tender. Stir in vegetables and beans and heat through. Thicken with a flour/water slurry if desired.
September 9th, 2006
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Applesauce Spice Cake
4 T. real butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. water
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 c. flour (use half whole wheat if you wish)
2 T. ground flaxseed
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. each nutmeg, allspice and ginger
Blend all dry ingredients together. Cream sugar and butter until smooth then add in egg, water and applesauce and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated and slightly fluffy. Spray an 8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in batter, bake in a 350d oven 30-35 minutes, or until tested done.
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