Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes with Tangy Vanilla Frosting

Nona made these great cupcakes for her Uncle T's 40th birthday present. Very flavourfull!

Frosting:

Add #c. pwdr'd sugar to 1 stick softened butter and cream together with mixer. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla, 2 TBSP milk, and 1 tsp orange flower water. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Add more milk or sugar as needed.

Note: to make fabulous vanilla frosting, skip the orange water. to make licorice frosting, sub 2 tsp licorice or anise extract for the vanilla.

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together 1 stick softened butter, milk, and vanilla with mixer until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Mix in 2.25 c. all purpose flour, 1 TBSP baking powder, & 1/2 tsp NaCl until integrated. Stir in 1 2/3 c. sugar and beat with mixer on low for 30 seconds. Turn up mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add 3 large egg whites. Beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in 1 cup sandwich cookies lightly crushed (we used ginger creme cookies, recipe calls for chocolate, you could use nutter butters--yum!)

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick test works. Cool in pan.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x9 pan.

In a large bowl mix, combine:

1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. oat bran
1/4 c. dry nonfat milk powder
1/2 c. raisins (or we've used dried blueberries, currants, etc with success)

Mix well to insure that raisins are separated.

In a small saucepan, combine:

1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 c. extra light (in flavour) olive oil
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Stir the mixture well for a few moments over very low heat. Do not let the mixture get hot. Remove from heat and add:

1 egg

then mix well. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture. With a wooden spoon, blend well until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

Pour into pan and distribute the batter evenly. Bake 20 minutes.

Once removed from oven, score into bars with the edge of a spatula. Let the bars cool in the pan, and then invert them onto a plate and cut thru to separate. Store in air tight container.

from The brown bag lunch cookbook


ps: not sure why the recipe would call for specifically using a wooden spoon for stirring. if you know, please leave it in the comments!! ;O)

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough!

Wahooy!! Thankfully, my friend, Jeanette shared this recipe with me. It's a health-nut's pizza dough dream!

Ingred:

1 pkt yeast

1 c. warm H2O

2 TBS. olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1/2 - 3/4t. salt

mix and leave to bubble for 5 mins


then mix in:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 c. all purpose white flour


Use another 1/2 c. white flour for kneading dough into a big lump.

Cover with towel and let rise in warm spot (over the heating vent, in a 200 degree preheated oven--just make sure that you turn off the oven before you put the dough in to rise, or you'll cook it--or wherever you normally leave your breads to rise.)

Jeanette's hubbie is a master grill chef, so he grills the dough (pre-topping assembly) on both sides. Then after the dough is just crispy, J puts on the toppings and return them to the grill to melt the cheese.

If you're not as adventurous, then place them in a 425 degree oven and cook till your liking. Just make sure to check for bubbles in the crust and deflate them!

Enjoy!

Toppings: of course, one's preferred pizza toppings are a very personal thing! Might i suggest one of my favourites (just make sure everyone else in the house eats it too, or you might find yourself the odd man out because you reek of glorious garlic.) Lately, i've been hooked on Whatever-chu-got Cheese and Garlic pizza: i cook 2 bulbs of garlic (cloves separated and peeled) in about 1/4 c. of olive oil (Trader Joe's has a fabulous Australian OO that has a hint of citrus in it--it's so tasty one could drink it straight from the bottle!) I am Emeril's worst nightmare because i don't use my knob very well--i cook the garlic on med low (and sometimes with some sweet onions thrown in) they come out very yummy and caramelly and nutty--oooooh! But you have to babysit them or they'll get too brown, too fried, and kinda tough. I've found a recipe from the Stinkin' Rose that makes it a little more of a science--2 c. garlic cloves to 1 c. olive oil in saucepan. Cook for 40 min on low heat stove, stirring once at the 20 minute mark. Once they begin to soften, transfer just the cloves to a baking pan and bake in 250 degree oven for 25-30 minute until golden and slightly wrinked.

I've been experimenting with all different kinds of cheeses too and we like a combo of mozz, smoked gouda or smoked provolone, and dollops of ricotta. Sauce is optional, we just use some yummy Aussie olive oil for our sauce, usually. We also have been throwing a few roasted red peppers (roasting directions are in the Real Tamale Pie recipe in this blog) on the pie along with some onions and heaping spoonfuls of garlic. Man, it's a tasty treat!!!

Enjoy!!

Real Tamale Pie

i found this recipe in an awesome book called "Vegetarian Planet" by Didi Emmons. this recipe is the best tamale pie i've ever tried because it uses masa instead of cornmeal!! The book also has some great bread recipes...if i am quick i will get a couple of them tried and posted before the book goes back to the library. :o) Enjoy!!

4 c. sliced onions
2 large bell peppers

2 c. masa harina
1 stick butter
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. water

1 & 1/2 c. (15 oz can) cooked and drained pinto or black beans
4 oz soft, mild chevre (goat cheese)

1 T. chili pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
28 oz can crushed plum tomatoes
2 minched garlic cloves
1 ancho pepper, soaked in hot water (optional)
1 pinch cayenne
1 pinch sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped scallions


Preheat the oven 450 degrees. Spread the sliced onions on one ungreased baking sheet and the whole peppers on another. Put both baking sheets into the oven. Roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes (stirring only the onions once or twice until brown and soft.) Take peppers out after skin blisters and swells. Lower oven to 375 degrees.

Make the masa dough: mix masa, salt, & butter with your hands, squeezing the dough thru your fingers. Add the water slowly, stirring and squeezing with your hand. Mix until the ingredients are blended.

To assemble the pie:

Remove the skin from the peppers, split them open, and discard the seeds. Cut into strips or leave in one piece. Mash the beans with potato masher, leaving enough texture. Press the dough into a 9x9 inch baking pan. Spread the beans evenly over the dough. Lay the peppers on the beans. Dot with goat cheese, then cover the cheese with the onions. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 375.

While pie is baking, heat chili powder and cumin seeds in sauce pan over medium heat, shaking the pan constantly, until the seeds have begun to release their aroma (about a minute). Add tomatoes and garilc. If you are using the ancho chili, remove from water, chop it fine and add it to the tomatoes. Simmer the tomato sauce for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Toward the end of the simmering, add the cayenne, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

When pie is finished, cut it into 4 pieces. Spoon a little of the tomato sauce on each of the plates and place each pieceon the sauce. Garnish with teh scallions and serve.

Notes: i found the dough to be too dry when prepared as above, so i think i might try to add a little more water--to the consistancy of pie dough almost. However, if you are making this dish to have leftovers, i would make the dough as recipe states, because if you store the dish with the sauce on it, the water from the sauce makes the tamale dough texture just right (not too dry you need to drink a half gallon of water/slice.) :o)

also, i assembled the dough and the beans in my pan, and made a "half and half". I placed the cherve, onions & peppers on one side and cooked sliced carrots and some colby jack (because i didn't think Riona would like the goat cheese.) The colby jack side was equally as good (but better with onions)--just an idea to make it kid friendly tho.

a fourth of this pie is a huge amount of food (masa is quite hardy!!), so we've found that one can get by with a sixth or an eighth quite nicely!

BBQ Chicken in a Pot (WW recipe)

This is fab-U-lous!

Toss all these ingredients into a crock pot:

6 - 6oz chicken breast, skinless and boneless
1 1/2 c. slice onion
1/2 of a lemon, sliced
1 - 18oz BBQ sauce of your choice (Trader Joe's natural BBQ sauce is excellent in this recipe!)
1 c. diet soda (or sometimes i just throw in a whole can.)

Cook all day on low till done.
You can remove some of the juices to a pan on the stovetop and reduce liquid to make gravy.

6 servings = 4 pts each (~200 calories each)


Note: i've tried frozen chicken in this recipe to save a little money, but for some reason it just doesn't come out as tasty--it's really dry. Goes to prove that no amount of carbonation can fix frozen meat! :o) When it's made with fresh chicken, you'll want to keep a good eye on it after about 4 - 5 hours, because the chicken gets so tender that you will have a hard time picking it out of the crock pot without it falling apart. :o) When life hands you shredded chicken in a pot, just make BBQ Chicken tacos!! :o)

Bumbleberry Pie is a charming name for a pie with mixed fruit and berries in it.
This is a recipe we recieved from our CSA last wk. Pretty tasty! We had these ingredients in our boxes this wk, but Farmer Judy said that she made one with blueberries and cut up plums. Some recipes use strawberries or gooseberries. The actual ingredients and proportions aren't very important, it's that you use 5 cups total of assorted fruits and berries. Farmer Judy also recommends the fruit portion of this recipe to be used in a cobbler recipe!



2-9" unbaked pie crusts

1 1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. flour

2 c. thinly sliced apples

1 c. blackberries

1 c. rhubarb, cut in 1' pieces

1 c. raspberries

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Stir flour and sugar together in large bowl. Add fruit, toss together, turn into the pie shell. Cover with pastry top, trim, seal edges. Cut vents in top. Bake for approx. 45 minutes, until browned and the apples are cooked--bottom line: watch to see that the juices are boiling so that the filling thickens.)

Note: i found that i had to cook it for almost an 1 and half before the juices started flowing and the pastry browned. Just keep a good eye on it!!

Beet Greens and Honey Walnuts!!

Yuuuuummy! However, i have to warn you that if you make these too many times, the family may revolt! :o)

2T evoo
1T chopped garlic
1 tsp NaCl
1T whole butter
1 bunch fresh beet greens, washed, stems removed, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 c. whole, shelled walnuts
2 tablespoons honey


Heat oil in pan & add beet greens. Stir-fry greens over high heat & garlic, salt & pepper. Lower heat & let simmer in own juices for 5 minutes before pouring into a serving dish. Heat butter in saucepan over medium 1 minute before adding walnuts. Shake nuts in butter, add honey and coat before pouring over beet greens.

Notes:
I don't use the red pepper flakes (if you don't like the sweetish side of bland tasting food tho, i'd leave it in.) I also haven't bothered with chopping the greens...it all wilts either way! :o)

I serve this over brown rice. It can be eaten on it's own or served over a different grain (quinoa, couscous, etc.)

The portion of the recipe for honeying the walnuts can also be used when making a salad and you'd like some "candied nuts" in it--any nuts can be used this way. And to mix it up you can add some cinnamon to them too. :o)

Americana Pot Roast is my new favourite crockpot recipe!! I made it at my parent's place while we were visiting and it turned out 1-der-ful!! Just plopped it in Mom's crock for 8 hours and dined for a few days on it. :o) The roast turned out soooooo tender, it just fell apart (i don't know if it was the way this recipe drenches the roast in liquid, or if it was the natural beef we used.)

1 boned rump roast (4 lb)
1 cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine OR 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 can (14 oz. size) beef broth
8 small red potatoes, cleaned and washed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 carrots, cut into chunks

Directions:Heat oven to 300. Place a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add roast, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion, saute 10 minutes. Add paprika, basil, oregano, thyme and garlic; saute 1 minute. Add wine, water, and broth; bring to a boil. Peel a 1/2" strip around each potato. Place in pan; add salt, pepper, carrots. Return roast to pan. Cover and bake at 300F for 2 hours. Turn roast; cover and bake an additional hour until tender. Serve with vegetables and broth, or make gravy from broth if desired.

Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/364/AmericanaPotRoast64158.shtml
Recipe ID: 34500

Swiss chard was a new green to me until i found this at Recipezaar.com--and what a co-wink-ie-dink! It's a WW recipe and a yummy one at that! I might add mushrooms too--try it both ways!!

Swiss Chard or Spinach With Pine Nuts and Raisins (ww) Recipe
This recipe is delicious made with any dark green leafy vegetable (Kale, Swiss Chard or Spinach your choice). Recipe comes from WeightWatchers.com. Points value 2.
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 bunch spinach or swiss chard (6-ounces)
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 servings 15 minutes cook time; 10 mins prep

Chicken Apple Hazelnut Salad--the combo in it self sounds delightful!!

Ingredients:

5 Romaine lettuce leaves
5 red leaf lettuce leaves
1 chopped red apple
1/3 red onion, cut into thin rings
1/4 c. chopped filbert nuts
1/4 c. croutons
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 grilled or poached chicken breasts, julienne

Combine all ingredients except chicken to a large bowl.

Dressing:
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 T. light rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. canola oil
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Toss salad with 2-3 Tbsp of salad dressing initially. Some of the dressing may be used to baste the chicken while grilling.

Notes:

Croutons--amounts of croutons one will consume are a personal thing, so i save them out of the salad to let the individual put them on themselves. Same with the cheese.

Sub = i didn't have any red onion, so i added a 1/4 c. blueberries to the salad. Just as yummy!!

recipe from Main Course Salads for Two from The Pacific NW by Janelle Lombard

Ruby Razz Crunch!!!

another yummy recipe i tried recently i found @ http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/recipe-index.html . this makes a decent dessert, however i think i would tweak a few things...my notes are listed at the bottom or this recipe.

Ruby Razz Crunch
Ingredients:
1 (1 lb.) pkg. thawed, frozen rhubarb, cut if pieces are large
1 (10 oz.) pkg. thawed, frozen red raspberries (reserve
1/4 c. for topping)
1/2 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. sifted Pillsbury's Best enriched flour
1 c. quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. French's cinnamon
1/2 c. melted butter
Procedure:
Drain rhubarb and raspberries. Combine fruits; set aside. Mix the fruit juices and measure 1 cup adding water if necessary. Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Blend in fruit juices. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and clear. Remove from heat, cover and set aside. Blend together flour, oats, cinnamon and melted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press half of crumb mixture firmly into 8 x 9-inch pan. Cover with drained fruit mixture and the thickened fruit juices. Sprinkle with remain- der of crumbs mixture; pat down lightly. Bake in slow 325 degrees oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool slightly in pan before cutting into squares. Serve warm or cold with mounds of frozen top- ping.

Notes:

Rhubarb--i used fresh rhubarb. And since rhubarb isn't one of my most favourite things, and i figured this might be quite tart with rhub and raspberries, i shorted the rhub a bit.

Flour--i try to use whole wheat whenever i can. in this dish, i found white whole wheat flour to be okay, but the oatmeal/flour/butter mixture came out a strange crumbly--not as it normal should. Next time i might use a half and half flour mix or whole wheat pastry flour.

Needs pecans or some sort of nuts!! I think it might add a little flavour to it.

Cinnamon--we are cinnaholics around here, so we always add more cinnamon to our dishes and 1.5 tsp still wasn't enough in this dish.

Garlic Scapes!!!

This is the best thing i love about gardening: learning new dishes to cook with what you are planting!! Unfortunately, it's a bigger challenge than it should be because of the dreaded Mom Brain.

Last fall, i planted garlic for the first time after reading an article on how easy it was to grow. I planted both hard neck and soft neck varities, and once spring came, i learned what a scape was. It's a "bulb" that sprouts out of the hardneck varities that looks funny but tastes delightfully like young garlic (just like the leaves, should you choose to harvest those in the Fall.)

Our CSA turned me onto an article where i found a yummy recipe for Garlic Scape and Yukon Potato Soup. You can check out the recipe at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002351155&slug=garlic29&date=20050629

You can also find a few yummy looking recipes on sites like Dakota Garlic.

I haven't seen scapes yet in the stores (not even the health food stores), however i've heard you can find them at farmer's markets occasionally.