tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85224437439474234502024-02-20T12:14:12.504-05:00Chopsticks and Measuring Cupsgrad student. foodie. musician. philomath.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-71594519161989778802014-04-23T17:02:00.001-04:002014-04-23T17:02:42.934-04:00Dark Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Whew. The past month was both incredible and insane. I read 120-something articles in 30 days, wrote 4 papers in 3 days, and then in 2 hours I finished it all off by passing my comprehensive exams. All those numbers mean I'm FINALLY "all but dissertation"! However, that much frantic work also meant that I had 3 sad and neglected bananas in my fruit basket. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So a day after my defense, I decided to do what I know how to do best- spend some quality time in the kitchen! Every time I find an occasion to make banana bread, though, I swear I also am missing a different ingredient than the time before. In the past this has resulted in using "chia eggs" to make up for being one egg shy or incorporating Greek yogurt in place of oil (or butter). This time I was short egg AND butter, but I at least had milk on hand. Remembering my friend had just had great success with a vegan banana nut muffin recipe I scoured the internet and found a vegan banana bread recipe. It didn't call for anything too crazy and at the same time had something a little different to offer- a <i>marbled </i>banana bread! Now, I don't have extensive experience with marbling, but the this recipe produces a gorgeous, healthy bread. It's flavorful and at the same time surprisingly low in sugar and fat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're looking for a banana bread to wow people with in the future, I recommend you try adapting the following recipe for your own purposes! At the same time, I must apologize- I totally ended up eyeballing a lot of the ingredients, because I realized at the last minute I had more banana than the original recipe called for and haphazardly tried to convert the original recipe in my head to yield a larger quantity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><b>Dark Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lightly adapted from the <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2011/11/marbled-banana-bread/" target="_blank">Post Punk Kitchen</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yields: 12 slices</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></i></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1.5 c bananas, mashed</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 c sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp pure vanilla extract</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbs vegetable oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 c milk </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 1/4 - 1/2 c all purpose flour</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1.5 tsp baking soda</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbs unsweetened dark cocoa powder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fefcf8; line-height: 18.299999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">6-8 tbs boiling water</span></span></li>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Directions</span></i></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;">Fahrenheit. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, vanilla, oil, and milk. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a separate, smaller bowl, peel and mash approximately 3 larger sized bananas. Afterward, measure out 1.5 cups of mashed banana and add it to the mixing bowl. Beat the ingredients together.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;">Fold the flour, baking soda, and salt with the contents of the mixing bowl until just barely incorporated.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;">In a medium sized mixing bowl, add 3-5 tablespoons of boiled water to the cocoa powder. (I needed to use closer to 5 tablespoons of water in order to dissolve the cocoa, so feel free to add more as needed!) Measure 1-1.5 cups of the banana mixture and add this to the cocoa powder and water. Fold the two together until well incorporated and the batter looks smooth. (If you want your marbling to be more sparse, only make 1 cup of chocolate-ified banana.) Add whatever remaining boiled water you have to the plain banana batter and stir.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;">In a greased (or buttered) 8" x 4 " loaf pan, alternate scooping in the chocolate and plain banana batter. I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to do so, going plain-chocolate-plain from left to right and then alternating by layer, but have fun with this! Once you have completed layering the two batters in the pan, take a knife and swirl circles and loops throughout the batter until you've created a design for the top of the bread that you like. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.176000595092773px;">Bake the bread for approximately 45 minutes. At this point, the bread will likely need another 15-20 minutes, but already be golden brown. If so, make a tent of tin foil over the top of the pan to prevent burning and put the pan back in until done. The bread will be done when a butter knife can be inserted almost (or entirely) smoothly throughout the bread without producing crumbs. </span></span></li>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-20390707435334019912014-03-22T20:04:00.001-04:002014-03-22T20:05:09.009-04:00Thriving on a budgetSince I lasted posted, a lot of people have been asking me about if I'm really living on $30 a week for groceries. Sure $30 doesn't sound like much, but it is entirely possible to not just live off of, but thrive on thirty dollars a week, so I figure today's post will be dedicated toward how to manage your grocery spending.<br />
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First off, I think it is important to say you need to <b>be realistic</b>. Different people have different eating habits. For instance, I don't eat meat, so I am able to save a lot of money in that department. I'm also a small person, so I probably eat less than people who are normal height (unless you put nachos in my face, then I'm going to eat an alarming amount). Different people also have different amounts of time that they can feasibly devote to cooking, and also like cooking (and doing dishes) to different degrees. If you hate cooking prep or just want to cut down on clean up time, then make sure you factor in the cost of these prepared foods into your budget.<br />
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Second, it is wise to <b>start by making a small cut to your current spending</b>. Early last year, I would fluctuate up to forty dollars a week on how much I spent weekly on groceries. Once I was aware of this, I tried a budget set around roughly the average of how much I was spending then. Later on, I lowered this budget to $40 a week. Shortly after, I realized that I was routinely under my $40 price point, so I lowered it to $30. If I had started with my original spending and immediately imposed a $30 budget there is no way I would have been successful and so I think it's really important you do what you need to do to make sure you don't feel unhappy with your food options.<br />
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Third, when reducing your grocery costs <b>consider what is in season or locally sourced</b>. These products tend to be cheaper, and if it's locally you're sourced, you're doing the environment a favor, too. In the winter in the northeast, I realize it can be difficult to stay fully stocked on fresh fruits and veggies, because nothing is in season near you. I suggest then that you look at whether there are fruits and vegetables that keep well and that you can buy in bulk at your local grocery store. For example, Wegmans has a terrific deal on family packs of granny smith apples. While these apples are not the gigantic apples I used to feast on, they are crisp and juicy, and at $2.99 for 3 pounds, they are a steal! In addition, do some sleuthing around your freezer section. Your store might offer flash frozen, unseasoned vegetable or fruit medleys. These are often cheaper than what you would buy fresh and they are extremely versatile! <a href="http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2013/12/automatic-healthy-eating-tip-1.html" target="_blank">{Never}homemaker</a> recently reviewed how the frozen vegetables from Wegmans help her stay on track with healthy eating, but her post also highlights how affordable and handy they are! I try to always have a few bags of the different Asian medleys on hand, so that at night I can throw together a vegetable and tofu stir-fry in just a matter of minutes.<br />
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Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, <b>be in the habit of planning out your meals</b>. I don't mean that you should be planning in the sense that you should be watching your nutritional content intake, but you <i>should</i> have recipes picked out for the next week. This will help you stay within your budget by making sure you don't make a thousand elaborate meals within the span of one week and at the same time it will limit how much time you spend wandering up and down the aisles, throwing whatever looks good into your cart. Perhaps most exciting for me, planning out my meals gives me the chance of trying out new recipes on a weekly basis!<br />
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Do you have any tips for staying on track with grocery shopping? Chime in! Otherwise, be sure to enjoy your weekend. I'll be back with a round-up of recipes I've tried out recently and loved as lunches to bring into work!Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-49313915401539569102014-03-04T09:21:00.000-05:002014-04-23T17:03:43.854-04:00Strawberry Raspberry Chia JamChee-a? Chai-a? Chia. As in, those furry grass-like pets from the 80s.<br />
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I got into eating chia seeds in the past two years when they blew up in the food world for being rich in omega-3s and fiber.<br />
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They're these tiny little seeds and as a vegetarian and someone with a fickle stomach, they just seemed like a no brainer to add to my diet. I bought them in the organic section at my regular grocery store and like to top off my yogurt with them, throw them in smoothies, and even use them as an egg-like binder in vegan baked goods. Most recently, I've been using them to make jam!<br />
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<b>Strawberry Raspberry Chia Jam</b><br />
Lightly adapted from <a href="http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/blackberry-chia-seed-jam/" target="_blank">Two Peas and Their Pod</a><br />
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Yields: 2 cups<br />
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<i>Ingredients</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>1 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh</li>
<li>2 cups strawberries, halved, frozen or fresh</li>
<li>2-3 tbs maple syrup, honey or agave</li>
<li>1/2 tbs vanilla extract</li>
<li>3 tbs chia seeds</li>
</ul>
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<i>Directions</i></div>
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<ul>
<li>In a small pot, bring your fruit to a low boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to stir for 5-7 minutes until most of the fruit falls apart. </li>
<li>Add in to the fruit, your sweetener, extract, and seeds. Continue to stir the mixture for an additional 7-10 minutes or until it has thickened up to a jam consistency of your liking.</li>
<li>Remove jam from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature before serving or storing. It should keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.</li>
</ul>
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I've been putting this jam on top of my oatmeal in the mornings to sweeten it up without the addition of raisins, honey, and the like. What's your favorite use for jam? </div>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-37295230027744660402014-03-03T14:35:00.002-05:002014-03-03T14:35:39.717-05:00Life right nowLife has changed significantly since I last posted, but that's to be expected when I last posted over a year ago. What exactly has changed since then? Well, to start, I picked up running. I began by running a 5K in April 2013 and in September I had completed my first half marathon. In fact, I'm training for my second major race right now! I'll be running the Broad Street Run, a 10-miler, in May. I'm also looking at a half marathon in Wildwoods, NJ two weeks after. It also feels like I dived into adulthood practically overnight when I decided to adopt Pepper, my now 8-month old black kitten this January. I was already starting to pay more attention to my finances, but now I'm cleaning the dishes after every single meal, sweeping, Swiffering, and vacuuming on a weekly basis, and abiding by a tight budget. To top things off, in the past year I've been following a 'gluten light' diet, because it turns out my body is less than pleased with gluten consumption, although my tastebuds beg to differ.<br />
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Surprisingly, I've never felt more productive or motivated in the kitchen. I spend no more than $30 a week on my groceries, but I truly look forward to crafting my grocery list each week. It's <i>fun</i> to be constantly challenging myself to stick to my budget, while trying out as many new recipes as possible. So it's a new year and a new me! I hope whoever it is that is reading this, that you enjoy seeing how far $30 can go and the recipes that come out of my kitchen.<br />
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<b>TLDR; I'm back.</b>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-65296102692689215592012-12-12T22:11:00.000-05:002014-04-23T17:04:00.761-04:00Eggnog Snickerdoodles & the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012This is the second year I've participated in the <a href="http://www.fbcookieswap.com/" target="_blank">Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap</a> and I've really come to love it. This year to participate in the cookie swap, bloggers were asked to donate 4 dollars to <a href="http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org/" target="_blank">Cookies for Kids' Cancer</a>, a non-profit organization committed to help funding new therapies that fight against pediatric cancer. Moreover, one of my favorite in-the-kitchen brands, OXO, got involved. OXO is donating 50% of proceeds from <a href="http://www.oxo.com/p-1115-good-cookie-spatula.aspx" target="_blank">their adorable spatula</a> AND is matching the proceeds earned from the FB Cookie Swap and donating it all to Cookies for Kids' Cancer.<br />
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So not only was this cookie swap a ton of fun to participate in, but it could not have been for a better cause!<br />
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With just over a week left in the semester, I truly looked forward to and appreciated coming home to shipments of cookies! This year I received delicious Tahini Butter Cookies from Annelies, at the <a href="http://thefoodpoet.com/2012/12/12/tahini-butter-cookies/" target="_blank">Food Poet</a>, Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies from Aaron, at the <a href="http://www.thehungryhutch.com/" target="_blank">Hungry Hutch</a>, and Moroccan Sesame Cookies from Amanda over at <a href="http://marocmama.com/2012/12/sesame-cookies-halwa-simsim.html" target="_blank">MoracMama</a>. All three cookies were enjoyed on my own before deciding enough was enough and that I should probably share the wealth with my labmates at work. I'm sure my waistline will thank me for this decision in the long run, but my sweet tooth tonight sure is regretting it!<br />
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For the cookie swap, I knew I wanted to embrace seasonal flavors and do a twist on a classic cookie. In the end, I went for incorporating the rich, spiced flavors of eggnog into a classic cookie - the snickerdoodle!<br />
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<b>Eggnog Snickerdoodles</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Based on <a href="http://joyofbaking.com/Snickerdoodles.html" target="_blank">Joy of Baking's Snickerdoodles</a></span><br />
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Yields: 36-40 cookies<br />
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<i>Cookie Ingredients</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or half all purpose, half whole wheat baking flour)</li>
<li>1/2 tsp salt</li>
<li>2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1 c unsalted butter, room temperature</li>
<li>1 1/2 c granulated sugar</li>
<li>2 large eggs, room temperature</li>
<li>1 tsp pure vanilla extract</li>
<li>1/2 tsp cinnamon</li>
<li>1/8 tsp nutmeg</li>
<li>1/3-1/2 c, whole fat eggnog</li>
</ul>
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<i>Coating Ingredients</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>1/3 c granulated sugar</li>
<li>2 tsp ground cinnamon</li>
</ul>
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<i>Directions</i><br />
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<ol>
<li>In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 -3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.</li>
<li>Once sugar and butter have been creamed together, mix in the eggs one at a time, scraping in between additions. Afterward, mix in the vanilla extract. </li>
<li>In a medium sized bowl, mix together your dry ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients to your wet mixture.</li>
<li>With your stand mixer or hand beaters on low, pour the eggnog into the cookie dough. If you're using whole wheat flour, you'll want to add closer to 1/2 c of eggnog. Cookie dough will be sticky at this point, so scrape down the sides and pop it into the refrigerator for at least two hours or until firm.</li>
<li>Once cookie dough is firm, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set up your work station with your metal cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and sprayed with your favorite non-stick cookie spray or lined with Silpat sheets. In a small bowl, you'll want to have your sugar and cinnamon mixture. You'll also want a small, circular cup that you can press your cookie balls down with. </li>
<li>Spoon it 1-1 1/2" balls of dough. Roll the balls into the sugar coating before pressing down with the cup. To keep the cup from sticking, occasionally rinse the cup off with clean water. You should aim for fitting 15 cookies on a pan.</li>
<li>Bake the cookies in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Keep a careful eye on the cookies and make sure that they are baking evenly. If your oven is as fickle as mine, you might want to rotate the pans while the cookies are baking. You also should keep an eye on the centers of the cookies to make sure they're baking all the way through, and watch for the bottoms of the cookies browning before cookies are actually done all the way through! (If this happens, try covering your cookie pan with tin foil while those cookies finish baking in the oven. Just be careful not to have the tin foil touch up against the cookies.)</li>
</ol>
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If you are super ambitious, I would love to see someone try drizzling a <a href="http://theredspoonblog.com/2012/06/salted-bourbon-caramel-sauce/" target="_blank">salted bourbon caramel sauce</a> over these cookies. I actually had bought all the ingredients for the sauce, but ran out of time! With all of the ingredients sitting in my cabinets, I have the perfect excuse to make the cookies over again, but I hope that it also inspires one of you to try out something new and make it your own!</div>
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Happy holidays, folks!<br />
Caitlin</div>
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<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-83127447278360397512012-12-03T15:05:00.003-05:002014-04-23T17:04:36.615-04:00Eggnog and Cranberry Bread Pudding with a Hard Bourbon Sauce<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Excuse me while I channel my inner Liz Lemon while I go "What the whaaaaat!?" Two posts in one day? Could it be so!?<br /><br />Well, yes, yes it could be. I'm serious when I say that I buy wholeheartedly in to seasonal flavors. I was all about the pumpkin earlier this year (and still am, actually), but as of recent it's like there's a little voice in my head whispering 'eggnog' to me throughout the day. It's torturous, I swear! And with no roommates, I have no one to tattle on me if I were to polish off a bottle in a day. My waistline might tell a different story, though. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, so let's get to the good stuff!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><b>Eggnog and Cranberry Bread Pudding with a Hard Bourbon Sauce</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Adapted from some recipe my mom has coveted as her own for years. I don't know which cookbook it's from, but I would wager a bet on the Silver Palette or one of David Wood's cookbooks. (Also, I bet this <a href="http://www.eatliverun.com/bourbon-vanilla-cranberry-sauce/" target="_blank">vanilla bourbon cranberry sauce</a> would be absolute money with this bread pudding if you made it more compote-style, but that's for another day!)</span><br />
<b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Bread pudding ingredients</span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">8 tbs butter, room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1 baguette or challah bread (enough to yield 4 c of cubed bread)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup heavy whipping cream</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup whole fat eggnog</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4 large eggs</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup bourbon</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup plus 2 tbl sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 tsp ground nutmeg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 tsp salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/3 cup fresh cranberries</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">Hard bourbon sauce ingredients</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">2 large egg yolks</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">5 tbl bourbon</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">4 tbl (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 tbs pieces</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Directions</span></i></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Cut off the ends of your carbalicious vehicle of choice. Next, cut the carbs into one inch cubes (or smaller). Butter each of these little puppies on all four sides. That's right, ALL FOUR SIDES. This should require at least one stick of butter and no, I'm not kidding.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">In a large bowl, whisk the cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, 1/2 cup of the sugar, nutmeg, and salt until blended. Add the <span class="il">bread</span> cubes and toss until evenly coated.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Refrigerate the <span class="il">pudding</span> for at least 2 hours, occasionally tossing the mixture with a large spoon (or your hands, don't be afraid to get messy) to make sure all the cubes are getting their fair share of eggnog bourbon goodness. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350'F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter. Add the cranberries to the pudding, toss, and then pour the <span class="il">pudding</span> into the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbl. sugar over the top of the <span class="il">pudding</span>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bake the <span class="il">pudding</span> on the center oven rack until the top is crisp and golden, and has risen in the center, about 50 minutes.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While the pudding is baking, now is your time to make some bourbon sauce! Start by putting a small sauce pan filled with 3/4" to an 1" of water on the stove and whisking together the egg yolks and sugar in a container that can be used as the top of a double boiler. (I usually go for a small glass (Pyrex) bowl that I later put on top of said small sauce pan.) You'll want to whisk until the mixture is a light yellow color, which will take 2-3 minutes. Afterward, go crazy and whisk in the bourbon!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Once the water is simmering and your sauce is mixed, add the bowl/top off of the double boiler to the heat. Cook, whisking vigorously, until the mixture is hot and slightly thickened, 5 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Remove sauce from heat once the mixture has thickened, add the butter slices one at a time, and stir until all of the butter has melted. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Serve the sauce warm over the <span class="il">bread</span> <span class="il">pudding</span>. If you prepare the sauce ahead of time, reheat it in the microwave, heating it one minute at at time and stirring in-between heating sessions.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span></li>
</ol>
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Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-19054465297459950252012-12-03T11:11:00.003-05:002012-12-03T11:12:13.922-05:00Browned Butter Pumpkin Trifle<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh noes, I failed to post a recipe in the past month. Well, I'm going to make it up in the next two weeks, starting with this post! I'm all about whatever is fresh or resonates with how the weather makes me feel, so this past fall I made a pretty outrageous brown butter pumpkin trifle with maple whipped cream and toffee crunch. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(can I say it's in the past now? It feels an awful lot like a balmy spring day right now) The trifle definitely hit the spot and did a great job at</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> feeding my obsession with pumpkin-flavored anything! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Let's get down to business now, shall we?<br /><br />Trifles are awesome. If your cake doesn't come out of your pan cleanly, then chop it all up into little bite size chunks and layer it with some other good stuff. Trifle usually consists of some cake and whipped cream, but additions of fruit, sauces, and candy are also welcome. This dessert comes together really well and looks gorgeous, when really it's just about the least time consuming construction possible. Trifles are shown off best in an trifle bowl, but any sort of tall glass container could be substituted.<br /><br /><b>Browned Butter Pumpkin Trifle</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(built upon Willow Bird Baking's <a href="http://willowbirdbaking.com/2012/10/05/brown-butter-pumpkin-cake-cheesecake-with-salted-caramel/" target="_blank">Browned Butter Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel</a> recipe)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cake ingredients</span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 cup pumpkin puree</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 teaspoon baking soda</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 teaspoon ground ginger</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">pinch table salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/8 teaspoon ground cloves</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 cup granulated sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 large egg</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons buttermilk</span></span></li>
</ul>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Topping ingredients</span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 pint heavy whipping cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maple syrup, to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 large heath bars </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Directions</i></span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 8 or 9-inch circular pans with butter. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium, stirring occasionally. Once brown flecks begin to appear in the butter (3-5 minutes) and aroma becomes nutty, remove from heat. Continue stirring as butter cools to room temperature (another 5 minutes).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix together the <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;">pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, and buttermilk until well combined. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir in the brown butter. Pour batter evenly into your two pans.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean or with few moist crumbles attached. This should occur between 25 and 30 minutes, but all ovens vary so be sure to test your cakes with a toothpick!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove cake and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before flipping out onto cooling racks. Allow cakes to come to room temperature.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">While cakes are cooling, chop up the health bars into small chunks. If you're feeling fancy, you can try shaving some curls to top the trifle with, but otherwise little chunks are just fine. During this time, you'll also want to make the maple whipped cream. You'll want to pour at least a cup of heavy cream to start into a bowl and use a hand or standmixer on high until the cream begins to form stiff peaks. Once it does, feel free to start drizzling in maple syrup. Just drizzle the syrup in a tablespoon at a time while the mixer is going and taste it for flavor. If you want it sweeter, go for a few tablespoons of maple syrup. If you just want a hint of flavor, then one or two tablespoons should be all you need.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Once cakes have cooled, cut cakes into small one inch chunks. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;">With all of your ingredients ready, start layering! I layered first with cake, then with topping, and last with heath bar, repeating until I ended with heath bar, but it's really up to you.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.983333587646484px;"> </span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that it's winter I have switched gears and made an eggnog bread pudding with cranberries. There's still eggnog in the fridge, so maybe more eggnog recipes will come in the future... or maybe I'll just finish it on my own with the help of a little Jim Bean or amaretto. Only time will tell! Check back soon for the eggnog bread pudding recipe (and seriously people, harass me until I post the recipe).</span></div>
Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-75986740395258842692012-10-30T19:10:00.000-04:002012-10-30T19:10:21.145-04:00Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans After traveling for two weeks, I can't get enough of being in the kitchen and eating healthful foods. In my attempt to prepare, if not, eat, all of my accumulating CSA produce before the next share arrives, I decided to finally try out the sweet potato and black bean combo. Now while this could easily be served inside or along with the carb vehicle of your choice (rice, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, etc.,), I've opted to serve mine on top of a bed of shredded lettuce. Come to think of it, I bet it would be pretty tasty atop nachos, but that'll have to wait until a later day.<br /><br />The flavors you use to season the potatoes and beans is up to you, but the combo I present to you today is a little out of the ordinary, in a sort of, dare I say, extraordinary way. I freehanded it, though, so all of my measurements are extremely approximate. However, it's crucial that you don't omit any of the spices! Also, I should draw your attention to the fact that the recipe that follows is meant to serve one, because I made it fresh for dinner. I can't say to whether it would reheat well, but I'm certain it could be made in larger quantities quite easily!<br /><br /><b>Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans</b><br />
<br />
<i>Ingredients</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 tbs vegetable oil</li>
<li>1/4 cup onion, minced</li>
<li>1 cup sweet potato, diced into quarter inch chunks</li>
<li>1/2 cup drained, but NOT rinsed, black beans</li>
<li>Two or three shakes of chili powder</li>
<li>Three or four shakes of cumin</li>
<li>One to two dashes of cayenne pepper for mild heat (go crazy, if you want!)</li>
<li>One to two shakes of dried parsley</li>
<li>Liberal amounts of salt and pepper </li>
<li>A dash of cinnamon</li>
<li>1 oz (or more) of shredded Monterey and Colby Jack cheese (optional)</li>
<li>1 cup of shredded lettuce (optional)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Directions</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Heat oil in a small- or medium-sized pan on medium.</li>
<li>Once oil has small bubbles form within it, add in minced onion.</li>
<li>Allow onions to crisp up and brown before adding in the sweet potatoes. Cover the mixture with a lid, and allow the sweet potatoes to steam up.</li>
<li>In 3-5 minutes, check the sweet potatoes with a fork. Once a fork is easily able to prick the potatoes, add in the black beans and stir.</li>
<li>Season the mixture with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and parsley, before stirring and putting the lid back on for another 2-3 minutes. (You should add more cumin than any other spice, followed by chili powder, salt and pepper, and cayenne. The other spices are crucial, but as subtle flavor notes!)</li>
<li>While the mixture is finishing cooking, prepare your plate as desired. I put a layer of shredded lettuce down on mine, which I then layered evenly with the mixture. Lastly, I topped it all with cheese and allowed it to melt over before diving in.</li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Eat your heart out, Chipotle! <br />(Except.. don't. I'm totally coming for your $2 Halloween burritos tomorrow!)</i></span></div>
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<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-57938193392899945712012-10-28T13:35:00.002-04:002012-10-28T13:41:09.996-04:00"Why is this so good?"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">No matter what you call this dip (taco dip, nacho dip, crack dip), it's undeniably delicious. It's been a favorite in my family for as long as I can remember and I'm so happy to see others loving it as much as the Roach crowd does!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Taco Dip</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
<i>Ingredients</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 pint (16 oz) sour cream</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">12 oz cream cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 roughly chopped green pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 roughly chopped red pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 roughly chopped yellow onion</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span class="il" style="color: #222222;">Taco</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">seasoning package</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Shredded Monterey Jack and Colby cheese or "Mexican" cheese, really whatever you're craving!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 deseeded, diced tomatoes (optional)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Shredded lettuce (optional)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Garlic powder (optional)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Cayenne pepper (optional)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white;">Directions</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<ol style="color: #222222;">
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Mix together sour cream and cream cheese. It's easiest to do so when they've been sitting out for a bit and had time to soften up. You can also get the reduced fat cream cheese or whipped cream cheese, both of which tends to be easier to mix with the sour cream!</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Incorporate <span class="il">taco</span> seasoning until flavorful enough for your liking. I usually use around half packet of it. I find the El Paso brand seasoning (I think that's the name.. it comes in a yellow packet) weaker than the Ortega brand (comes in a blue packet), though, so feel free to taste as you mix! </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Store and chill this mixture until right before assembly/consumption. No one wants soupy <span class="il">dip</span>! </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Spread the <span class="il">taco</span> seasoned cheese mixture into the bottom of a 9x13" pan evenly. If you desire, lightly top with garlic powder and cayenne pepper for an extra kick at this time.</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Layer selected vegetables on top of mixture.</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Top with shredded cheese. </span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Dig in with a serving vehicle of your choice (chips and hard, crunchy vegetables are advisable). </span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;">p.s. The combo of cheese and taco seasoning are what make this a winner, but really anything that combines those are good in my book. In fact, I think I'll use the leftover seasoning and cheese with some black beans and call it dinner! </span></div>
</div>
Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-38335527429202004142012-07-30T17:40:00.000-04:002012-07-30T17:41:47.086-04:00Dark Chocolate and Cherry SconesIf you follow me on Instagram (chopsticksandmeasuringcups) then you know that I do plenty of cooking and baking, so it's the following up and posting recipes (or perhaps keeping track of ingredients and measurements) that's not my forte these days. I have a solution, though! I think you all should probably just feel free to stop by my apartment and try all of the food that's coming out of my kitchen first hand. Seriously, though, someone needs to hold me better accountable to writing up recipes! Who knows what will happen once year 2 of grad school starts up..<br />
<br />
Anyway, I do have quite the recipe for you today. Scones have been floating around my Google reader and given that I'm going down my aunt's in the Cape where we always have a buffet of breakfast pastries, it just seemed like the right time to make some scones of my own! These are adapted from a Weight Watchers' friendly blog, which is particularly convenient given I'm going to stuff my face with them right before heading out onto the beach. I changed around the flavors to satisfy a craving I've had for Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but definitely still try out the original recipe which is more oatmeal raisin themed!<br />
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<b>Dark Chocolate and Cherry Scones</b><br />
Recipe adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny's <a href="http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2012/07/skinny-cinnamon-raisin-scones.html" target="_blank">Cinnamon Raisin Scones</a><br />
<br />
Yields 12 moderately sized scones, or 8 "restaurant" sized scones<br />
<br />
<i>Scone Ingredients</i><br />
<ul>
<li>2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour</li>
<li>1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed</li>
<li>3 tablespoons baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>3 tablespoons cold butter (I'm talking straight from the fridge, has no give, type of cold butter!) </li>
<li>1/4 cup skim milk</li>
<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 eggs, lightly beaten</li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
<li>1/2 cup rehydrated dried cherries (Fresh would be wonderful, but I didn't have any on hand!)</li>
<ul>
<li>This can be done by letting dried cherries soak in 1/4 cup hot water for 5 minutes or by microwaving them in a bowl with 1/4 cup water for 1 minute. Either way, drain the excess liquid! </li>
</ul>
<li>1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks or semi-sweet chocolate chips</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>Glaze Ingredients</i></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips</li>
<li>1 tablespoon vegetable oil, coconut oil, or shortening (optional, but highly recommended to get a nice shiny glaze)</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper </li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
</ul>
</div>
<i>Directions</i><br />
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor, pulse together until just incorporated the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon). </li>
<li>Cut the butter into 4 or 5 smaller wedges and pulse into dry mixture. </li>
<li>One at a time, pulse milk, vanilla extract, and eggs into the mixture. Each addition of a wet ingredient, you should only need to pulse once or twice. At the end, the mixture should have begun to clump together and form a dough. </li>
<li>Pulse in cherries and half of the chocolate until batter is flecked with little pieces.</li>
<li>Fold in remaining chocolate.</li>
<li>On a well floured flat surface and with hands coated in flour, remove dough from food processor and form a disc 9 inches across. (The disc will be between half an inch and an inch thick, but don't worry! It will bake up in the oven.) Transfer disc onto a buttered and floured cookie sheet or other flat baking sheet for actual baking.</li>
<li>With a liberally buttered (or non-stick sprayed) pizza cutter, divide the disc into desired proportions. I would recommend either 8 or 12 divisions. </li>
<li>Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown all around. Remove and let cool completely.</li>
<li>While scones are cooling, in a small sauce pan heat chocolate chips with the oil of your choice. Alternatively, you can melt the two in the microwave for a minute. Just check the microwave every 20 seconds or so or the chocolate could burn. </li>
<li>Once melted, stir in the cayenne pepper and cinnamon.</li>
<li>When the scones are completely cooled, drizzle sauce over top the scones, serve and enjoy!</li>
</ol>
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These scones come in at 6 WW+ points. They make a great midday treat with a coffee pick me up or even could be served alongside some scrambled egg whites for quite the respectable breakfast! Of course, feel free to play around with the recipe- you might be interested in trying include subbing in a mixture of half oat flour (made simply by pulsing quick or old fashioned oats in the food processor) with half all purpose white flour. You could also use fresh cherries if they're local and in season where you are. Any way you have it, please do enjoy!Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-83408705615108772152012-06-18T23:13:00.000-04:002012-06-18T23:13:01.304-04:00A Burnt Ring Finger & Brown Sugar to the EyeI must have a case of the Mondays. It's the only thing I can think of that would result in upping my all time injuries in the kitchen tally from two to four in one day. First, I accidentally tipped a pot of freshly cooked rice vermicelli into the sink. What was my next thought process? Oh, let's scoop them all up with my bare hands! Folks. Don't do that. It's a TERRIBLE idea. Then just now, I somehow flung brown sugar all up on my shirt, my hair, and in my eyes! Crazy, I know.<br />
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However, at least these mishaps led to hearty eats! I now have lunch (or dinner) set through Friday-- Asian noodle stir-fry filled with soft tofu, sugar snap peas, and zucchini. Continuing with the zucchini trend, I went and tried out a new <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/zucchini-bread-with-dried-cranberries-and-vanilla-bean-glaze-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">zucchini bread</a> recipe and a "<a href="http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2011/08/secretly-healthy-chocolate-cake.html" target="_blank">secretly healthy chocolate cake</a>" recipe.<br />
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I made very few modifications to the recipes, but so that you can keep track at home here are my baking notes!<br />
<br />
Zucchini bread (16 servings, 4 WW+ points each)<br />
<ul>
<li>Used the oil option rather than butter</li>
<li>Used whole wheat flour instead of AP</li>
<li>Used fat free greek yogurt in place of plain yogurt or sour cream</li>
<li>Did not add craisins</li>
<li>Did not top with glaze</li>
<li>Will grease and flour the pan next time; a liberal coating with a non-stick spray does not get the job done with this bread!</li>
<li>Yields a dense, shorter slice of bread</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YJrW3SAfGNbGMeoqQ-8H1ZawfPSSMZJEKvP31gGNpy3TVIhSU5tynfQDIX09zbVniK419bzAAZn6Kevsyeid_rnqnKpSCehRDmKKwi47arDHIq8e8fajJhyphenhyphenU94dHvCm8uZXCxqKAsYI/s1600/18+June+2012_Zucchini+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YJrW3SAfGNbGMeoqQ-8H1ZawfPSSMZJEKvP31gGNpy3TVIhSU5tynfQDIX09zbVniK419bzAAZn6Kevsyeid_rnqnKpSCehRDmKKwi47arDHIq8e8fajJhyphenhyphenU94dHvCm8uZXCxqKAsYI/s200/18+June+2012_Zucchini+Bread.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A great little snack that I intend on pairing <br />with a fresh smoothie for breakfast this week!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bars (9 servings, 3 WW+ points each)</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Used all whole wheat flour instead of AP</li>
<li>Used fat free greek yogurt in place of apple sauce</li>
<li>Substituted a "chia" egg (1 tbs chia seeds + 3 tbs water) for the egg</li>
<li>Added 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper</li>
<li>Did without the optional chocolate chips</li>
<li>Removed from the oven when the toothpick was not quite clean, so that the bars were more fudgey and brownie-like</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvLcw-WU6metVw3mYf7r9fWnfU1dZKeY_xEZbz25Q8pJDMG18_eJDVCHevWy8nOl8XrEYb0lCkiMS_ois_1NkTFs776_qh5U_JSEujdfyvnna15eEEjMQI9FCAm9w3sp3GmYCAFWIu94/s1600/18+June+2012_Dark+Chocolate+Zucchini+Bars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvLcw-WU6metVw3mYf7r9fWnfU1dZKeY_xEZbz25Q8pJDMG18_eJDVCHevWy8nOl8XrEYb0lCkiMS_ois_1NkTFs776_qh5U_JSEujdfyvnna15eEEjMQI9FCAm9w3sp3GmYCAFWIu94/s200/18+June+2012_Dark+Chocolate+Zucchini+Bars.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Topped with fresh strawberry and ice cream!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And the best part of all? Not only do these treats sneak in an extra bit of vegetable to your daily diet, but you can bake these simultaneously since they both call for a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit! Now what's stopping you? Try these recipes out!</div>
</div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-87696910165611231582012-06-12T20:48:00.001-04:002012-06-12T21:00:56.594-04:00Peanut Butter and Chocolate Kissed Banana Muffins<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's been muggy and in the 70s, if not 80s, here in Happy Valley for several weeks and today I did the unthinkable. I decided to bake. The window air conditioner unit I bought is not even installed and it still seemed like a good idea to use the oven.<br /><br />Luckily for me, and all of you, this recipe is worth turning on the oven and sweating for- The muffins are healthy and oh so flavorful!<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As many of you may know about me, I am obsessed with peanut butter. I love it so much that the first time I went on Weight Watchers I was disgusted by how many points (the measuring system in WW) are in two measly tablespoons! I quickly found PB2, a healthy, natural alternative to peanut butter, that easily allows me twice the amount of peanut goodness for less than half the points of the real stuff. Since then, I've been meaning to try PB2 out in a baked good and now we have its debut! And my few, faithful followers, don't think that this means you <i>have</i> to use PB2 to make these bad boys. You can just as easily sub in the same amount of peanut butter into this recipe (though you'll want to heat it up, so it's warm, more liquidy, and easy to mix)!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Peanut Butter and Chocolate Kissed Banana Muffins</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Recipe inspired by Skinny Taste's <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/low-fat-peanut-butter-banana-muffins.html">Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins</a><br /><br />Yields 12 muffins</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ingredients</span></i><br />
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tbsp butter, softened</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup light brown sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 ripe medium bananas</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 large egg whites</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6 tbsp of prepared PB2 (6 tbsp PB2 mixed with 3 tbsp water) OR 6 tbsp of your favorite peanut butter</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup whole wheat flour</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tsp baking soda</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 tsp salt</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 tsp cinnamon</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><i>Directions</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin pan with 12 liners, or spray pan liberally with your favorite non-stick spray. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Cream together butter and sugar. While these are creaming, peel and mash the bananas in a small side bowl. A few small lumps of banana are fine, but avoid having extraneous banana chunks on the larger side.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Once butter and sugar are creamed, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in bananas, egg whites, vanilla extract, and peanut butter of your choice. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">When the wet ingredients are well incorporated, fold in all of the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Be sure not to overmix or you'll end up with tough muffins!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Pour batter into the muffin tin, filling each designated muffin area 1/3 of the way up. At this point, evenly scatter the 1/4 c of chocolate chips throughout the 12 muffins. Pour remaining batter into the pan until there's none left (or until there's just enough batter left for you to scoop out with your fingers for a taste test before you do the dishes). </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Bake muffins for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out practically clean. When storing, make sure they've cooled down entirely, even if this means you have to leave them out overnight. If you don't, you're at risk for these muffins going from perfectly cooked with a touch of undone, warm insides, to the awkwardly sticky, and dare I say it, <i>moist</i>, texture. Alternatively, just eat them all at once! </span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Whoa, blurry, sorry about this everyone!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">These muffins come in at 4 points and are great for a snack, a treat, or even to start off your day, perhaps with a bowl of fruit salad and a small side of scrambled eggs. Don't be afraid to go crazy with the filling options, either. I suspect adding in a dollop of jelly would make these muffins a great play on PB&J. You could also try using peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips, a little ball of coconut flakes, or even mini-marshmallows! Actually, why not try a combination of all of the above?<br /><br />Happy eating, folks!</span></span></div>
</div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-74303545539025571122012-06-11T20:04:00.002-04:002012-06-12T20:51:57.596-04:00Slutty CupcakesEek! It's been 2 days shy of a month since I last posted. Thankfully, what I have for you today consists of 3 layers of decadence. Following the <a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/new-recipes/ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookie-n-oreo-fudge-brownie-bar.html">slutty</a> <a href="http://whatsgabycooking.com/slutty-brownies/">brownie</a> trend that swarmed the Internet earlier this year I was inspired to transform these beauties into cupcakes. Unfortunately, I don't have any good quality pictures to show of them, so you'll have to trust me on this one!<br />
<br />
The traditional slutty brownie begins with a layer of gooey chocolate chip cookie, followed by Oreos that have been topped with your favorite brownie recipe. In the cupcake, I decided to switch it up a bit. I used a brownie base and inserted a chilled ball of eggless chocolate chip cookie dough, so that while the brownie-cake baked, the dough warmed up and became perfectly gooey and not quite all the way done. Lastly, I went with a buttercream frosting with crushed Oreos mixed in, and then topped it all off with a whole Oreo! Whew! And along the way, I learned that brownie-based cupcakes aren't meant to be cooked using muffin/cupcake liners unless being served while still hot and easy to peel from the liner. So spray up your muffin tin and give it a good dusting with flour!<br />
<br />
I foresee many permutations of the Slutty Brownie to comes, so check back for variations based on the infamous peanut butter & chocolate combination, as well as mint and chocolate duo.<br />
<br />
For the brownie base, I used this <a href="http://www.beantownbaker.com/2010/04/mini-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.html">recipe</a>. I found mine took longer to cook (because there was a chilled ball of dough in the center, but of course) than recommended, so you'll want to stay close to the oven and take them out frequently to test them with a toothpick. I would say take them out when the toothpick still comes out a little gooey. Just like with regular brownies, you don't want the toothpick perfectly cool or for the brownies to look all the way cooked when they come out of the oven, otherwise once they'll cool, you'll find they've been overcooked and dry! Also important for the brownie base and the chocolate chip cookie dough is to not entirely sub out the AP flour with whole wheat flour without playing around with the wet ingredient ratio, too. Even if it's white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, you'll find the texture is off if you do a full swap!<br />
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For the hidden chocolate chip cookie dough ball, I used another of <a href="http://www.beantownbaker.com/2011/03/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cupcakes.html">Jen's recipes</a>! Since this recipe's proportions is meant for a batch of mini-cupcakes, I ended up with too much batter (and that was with eating a lot of it). Easy solution, keep them in the freezer until your next batch of slutty cupcakes. Or, if you feel a craving coming on, move them from the freezer to the fridge and just pop them in.. not that I'm speaking from experience, or anything.<br />
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Lastly, the frosting! I used <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/255817/magnolia-bakery-vanilla-buttercream">this recipe</a> from the famous Magnolia Bakery in NYC, scaled to 3/4 instead of a full batch. However, because the cupcakes are so sweet to begin with (and I have a sweet tooth not to be reckoned with) AND you are going to be adding in crushed Oreos, I would recommend starting out on the low end of the sugar scale. As for how many Oreos you want, start with 6-8 Oreos and go with what your tastebuds' instinct!<br />
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Alright, drooling yet? Get to the kitchen! I promise to be back to you later this week with some peanut butter banana muffins and then later this month with PB & Choco Slutty Brownies!<br />
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<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-40426076245439293702012-05-13T23:02:00.002-04:002012-06-12T20:52:13.371-04:00Thai Noodle SoupHello, my invisible internet friends! I'm reporting in from the ranch, back in MA. I threw together some ingredients the other day and created one of my best Thai concoctions. It was so easy, I almost didn't think to blog it, but since I'm still dreaming about it, I figure I should! It's very simple and I suspect very versatile. Feel free to play around with curry amount, type, and adding in some protein!<br />
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<b>Thai Noodle Soup</b><br />
Yields 4 bowls or 2 hearty stomachs<br />
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<i>Ingredients</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>1/2 c full fat coconut milk</li>
<li>2 c vegetable broth (or 2 c water + 2 tbs vegetable bouillon, like I did) </li>
<li>1 1/2 to 2 tbsp red curry paste</li>
<li>1 tbsp Thai herb blend (I found a little tube of this nifty stuff with the fresh herbs, see if your grocer sells it too! If not, consider adding in garlic, and maybe some cilantro and a little lemongrass.)</li>
<li>1/2 Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced thinly</li>
<li>4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped</li>
<li>1/2 red pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces</li>
<li>2 squash (I used a mix of zucchini and summer squash), sliced thinly</li>
<li>1 to 1 1/2 c of (fine) rice vermicelli</li>
<li>Water for boiling</li>
<li>1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil</li>
</ul>
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<i>Directions</i></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>In a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat, mix together the coconut milk, broth, curry paste, herb blend, and zucchini. Be sure to give this a stir occasionally.</li>
<li>In a medium sized skillet on medium heat, add olive oil. Once heated, add onions. Allow them to sweat and even begin to caramelize. </li>
<li>Once onions start caramelizing, add in the chopped spinach and let them wilt. In the sauce pan, add the squash and give the mix a stir, making sure the squash aren't just floating around at the top.</li>
<li>When the spinach is wilted and the onions have browned, add them to the broth mixture in the sauce pan.</li>
<li>In a new sauce pan, boil water. Once boiling, cook the rice vermicelli according to the package. (Mine recommended cooking it for 2-3 minutes and rinsing it in cold water for a minute. I would recommend 3-4 minutes in the boiling water, rinsing it with cold water, and then allowing it to finish cooking in the broth.) If you don't have rice vermicelli or another long, Asian noodle, I would recommend adding in a long, Italian noodle (e.g., angel hair or linguine) over serving it with rice. I'm afraid rice would get lost in this soup. </li>
<li>Serve fresh! Optional, but mighty tasty, garnishes include chopped peanut, Thai basil, and a squeeze of fresh lime. </li>
</ol>
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I have had two little tomatoes chilling in my fridge, looking for a home and I was at a loss of inspiration, but then this <a href="http://spoonforkbacon.com/2012/05/baked-tomatoes/">little post</a> came along. Not only did I have the tomatoes, but I had fresh herbs on hand, too! I have had great success in the past with recipes from <a href="http://spoonforkbacon.com/">Spoon Fork Bacon</a>, so I had a good feeling about this recipe.<br />
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Since I only had 2 tomatoes (versus the 8 that are called for), I winged the measurements given the reduced portion. I also added some leftover butter beans I had to the breadcrumb mix and mashed them up. </div>
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The end result? Delicious! Oh, and what's that little guy hanging over on the right side? Well, that my friends would be a savory pancake! I overestimated how much stuffing I could put in the tomatoes, so then I added an egg and probably a quarter of a cup of shredded cheese and fried it up like a pancake. Once it was light and fluffy, I plopped it down on the plate with a dollop of pesto. </div>
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Guys, I don't know which part of this recipe I liked best, but I'll definitely be playing around with the idea of baked (and stuffed) tomatoes and savory pancakes in the future!<br />
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Enjoy!</div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-58706385150803963852012-04-28T14:44:00.000-04:002012-04-28T14:44:25.864-04:00Blog Love: Honey Whole Wheat Banana BreadThis week, I found myself with a few bananas that I hadn't managed to get to before they turned brown. Although I have a slew of banana-containing cookie and cupcake recipes that I have bookmarked, I decided to use these bananas to try out a rather wholesome banana bread recipe, particularly since I recently fell victim to <a href="http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/new-recipes/ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookie-n-oreo-fudge-brownie-bar.html">slutty brownies</a>.. yet again.<br />
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So for this week's "blog love", I recommend you all check out Cookie and Kate's <a href="http://cookieandkate.com/">blog</a>. I used her <a href="http://cookieandkate.com/2011/honey-whole-wheat-banana-bread/">banana bread recipe</a>, but I plan on making many other of her recipes in the future. Her blog is full of healthy, but flavorful ideas accompanied by really exceptional, clean looking photography.<br />
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As for the banana bread, the only change I made to the recipe was really an addition of raisins, because to me, banana bread just seems barren when there are no raisins involved. Anyway, I highly recommend you take some time (maybe 10 minutes max in prep time) to whip together this bread and then enjoy a slice of it, warm, with a pad of butter or a smear of peanut butter!<br />
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Happy eating!<br />
<br />Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-73173023161162031492012-04-21T20:12:00.003-04:002012-04-21T20:14:16.918-04:00Strawberry Rhubarb CrumbleIn Tuesday's <a href="http://www.villageacresfarm.com/">Village Acres</a>' CSA shared, I received my first few stalks of rhubarb for the season and today seemed like the perfect time to use them! I had strawberries that had been ripening away in my refrigerator and was full from a dinner of wild rice, pesto, and tofu, with little intention of wanting to eat batter (a rare occasion), so off to the blogs I went!<br />
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I decided on using <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/crumbling-crisp-convictions/">smitten kitchen's recipe</a>, because I had almost all of the ingredients to begin with and in close to the quantities called for. I now am completely out of white sugar, light brown sugar, and butter, but I'd call that a successful baking session! A few edits were made to the recipe, however.<br />
<ul>
<li>I used a glass Pyrex dish (not quite a 9"x13", so whatever is next smallest) that was not specifically "deep dish" with no problems. I did put the Pyrex on top of a baking sheet in case there was some bubbling over, but I seem to have been spared any messes!</li>
<li>I used dark brown sugar, because I didn't have any turbinado sugar.</li>
<li>I had no lemon, so there was no lemon in the topping or filling. In the filling I did go with a splash of orange juice instead of the lemon juice to add some citrus. If there were Gran Marnier in the apartment, I probably would have tried subbing that in for some tang and citrus. (Boozy fruit, who doesn't approve!?)</li>
<li>I added a few dashes of cinnamon and and just a smidge of ginger to the filling for a little extra flavor burst.</li>
<li>I didn't have any cornstarch, so I went with just over a tablespoon of flour to toss the fruit in.</li>
</ul>
Despite the number of little substitutions I took and liberty I used in making this (okay, I didn't measure any of the fruit.. or sugar..), it turned out pretty spectacular looking! Now I'm just deciding whether I want to make fresh whipped cream for it or if I should go out and buy some local, fresh ice cream!<br />
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Happy weekend everybody! Hope you find a chance to make a crumble (or crisp, if you will) in the near future with all of the fruits just coming into season!Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-522174259736648292012-04-19T17:15:00.001-04:002012-04-19T17:15:44.095-04:00Pesto doesn't mean pasta!Alright, let's start off by admitting I had an absolute fail when it came to saying that I was about to post more regularly, because that clearly didn't happen.<br />
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I do think I have since come up with two ways that will keep me better accountable to keeping this little diddy updated. However, I am going to need some help, my imaginary audience! First, I hope to post pictures throughout the week of the more put together dishes and whenever you like what you see, you comment on it and request that I write up a recipe for it! Bam! How do you like that?<br />
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Secondly, and what has inspired this post, is the idea of "blog love" which entails posting one recipe once a week that features a recipe created by some other food blogger that I admire. This idea struck me as genius when I came across it earlier today on <a href="http://www.heathersdish.com/">Heather's Dish</a>. Heather was posting about this addictive <a href="http://blackboardkitchen.com/2011/11/garlicky-roasted-potatoes-with-budget-friendly-pesto/">spinach pesto recipe</a> that she's currently infatuated with and that I knew I had to make.<br />
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It's really perfect timing for a pesto what with summer on its way and all sorts of green veggies about to appear. Really, I've had great success in the past making pesto with the traditional basil, but also spinach, garlic scape, kale, broccoli, and even asparagus! Not only that, but pesto should not be restricted to just pasta. I think it's a great addition to breakfast, really. Try it on a fried egg sandwich, in your scrambled eggs, even add a little touch to your hashbrowns!<br />
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So I broke out the big guns (thanks, Sean!) and here we have it, some garlicky spinach pesto! Just a few notes to follow on this recipe and how I approached it.<br />
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<ul>
<li>I used 1/3 c good quality, organic olive oil and probably could have used even less! </li>
<li>I toasted the walnuts on the stove top, but putting it under the broiler could also work! (I've never tried using the microwave for toasting nuts, though.)</li>
<li>I went for double the amount of garlic and half the amount of onion. In the future, I might scale back on the amount of garlic from a full doubling of garlic, not because <i>I</i> don't love garlic, but because it might come off as just a bit abrasive too non-garlic lovers (not that those exist, or anything)! </li>
<li>I only included half the amount of cheese. Using the recommended amount (1/2 c) would probably balance out the extra garlic I included just perfectly, but I was trying to make it just an eensy bit healthier. Go figure.</li>
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Alright then, happy eating to you all on this gorgeous Thursday. I vow to check back in very shortly!</div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-87592587811590931102011-12-19T19:24:00.003-05:002012-05-09T13:41:33.900-04:00A lunch to get you through another busy weekOften come Sunday (or Monday on those especially tedious Sundays), I go ahead and make my fixings for lunch for the rest of the week. I try and choose something that gets in more than one of my basic food groups and most importantly, something that I won't get sick of throughout the week. This can mean making something with a flavor or flavor profile that I'm really hankering for at the time or making something with just the basics so that I can season the dish as the week progresses (and my appetite develops). <br />
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With a rather unexpectedly busy start to the work week, tonight I decided to make such a lunch base for my mom, since I'm at home and enjoying a break from graduate school. She always hears about how I make these lunch bases and says she's coming over, but jokingly, since we live 8 hours apart, so this seemed like a perfect time to reward her for all of her work and effort and teach her an easy way to get ready for the work week!</div>
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I normally wouldn't even write this up as a recipe, since it's very spur of the moment, but so that my mom can recreate a dish like this, here goes nothing! </div>
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<b>Week Day Lunch</b></div>
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Yields: 4-5 lunch-sized portions</div>
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<i>Ingredients</i></div>
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<ul>
<li>1 package of Near East Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Quinoa Blend</li>
<li>1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped</li>
<li>1 c carrot, roughly chopped</li>
<li>1 red pepper, roughly chopped</li>
<li>1 green pepper, roughly chopped</li>
<li>1/2 c mild feta, crumbled</li>
<li>1 can white beans</li>
<li>1/2 c reduced sodium vegetable broth</li>
<li>olive oil</li>
<li>garlic powder (optional)</li>
<li>dried oregano (optional)</li>
<li>salt and pepper</li>
</ul>
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<i>Directions</i></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Prepare grain of your choice according to the box.</li>
<li>In a side pan, heat up oil on medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper.</li>
<li>Once the onions are starting to caramelize, crank the heat to medium-high to high and add in a half cup or so of broth. Cover the carrots and onion and let cook until the liquid has been absorbed (or evaporated).</li>
<li>In a storage container that you can refrigerate the entire dish in for the remainder of the week, add your chopped, raw veggies (in this case, pepper) and cheese. To make this dish a little more "Greek" flavored, I added some additional garlic powder and oregano at this point.</li>
<li>Once the carrots have softened, remove carrots and onion from the heat and let them cool a bit before moving them into the storage container.</li>
<li>Remove grain from the heat once cooked and allow it to cool, before transferring to the storage container.</li>
<li>Serve whenever, and however! I don't always reheat this, sometimes I go for eating it like a salad over a bed of arugula or spinach.</li>
</ol>
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This recipe is extremely versatile and meant to be used solely as a base, so feel free to add in whatever flavors and ingredients suit you (or whatever you can find in the fridge). In fact, I've used whole wheat rice, quinoa, couscous, farro, barley, and wheat berry as the grain in the past, so really it's up to you! I could see tortellini or farfalle (bowtie pasta) being delicious options, as well. As for the cheese selection, I tend to stick to strong cheeses (e.g., feta cheese, goat cheese, and grated parm), so that I only need a little, but can still enjoy all of the flavor. </div>
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<br /></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-8674972894200553102011-12-11T19:53:00.004-05:002011-12-11T20:31:52.206-05:00The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011: Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RW41W0lXLcbuKAL2qrmbFudfDK9sg572Ot-4B5uXkonhyi6ZTH7aBWsa7RF96ZpmXqFKZWlXtFctjzsVwthlS_rDTkpSIUqRQfS_MGL15Ajh7bE4DXLkRY8RwPd3_NHLx7Q0LeeJJp4/s1600/FB+Cookie+Swap+logo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RW41W0lXLcbuKAL2qrmbFudfDK9sg572Ot-4B5uXkonhyi6ZTH7aBWsa7RF96ZpmXqFKZWlXtFctjzsVwthlS_rDTkpSIUqRQfS_MGL15Ajh7bE4DXLkRY8RwPd3_NHLx7Q0LeeJJp4/s400/FB+Cookie+Swap+logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685044667418537090" /></a><div><br /></div>Well folks, this here is not your mother's oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, or at the very least it is certainly not my mom's recipe. Try as I may, I am extremely UNsuccessful at reproducing her recipe. So, I figured this cookie swap was the perfect time to scout out a new oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. Then, I kicked it up a notch, because if you're anything like me, once it's cold out, not only do you want a midday pick me up in the form of a muffin or a cookie (or three, or five) but you want a beverage to warm you up! This cookie embodies this mindset of mine by combining what I consider to be some of the best of what the cookie and warm beverage world have to offer. It's a chewy cookie with an almost sugar cookie-like base, sprinkled with oatmeal, and it has the spices of a traditional black chai tea. <div><br /></div><div><b>Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies</b></div><div>(Based on Joanne Chang's Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe found in Flour)</div><div><br />Yields 60 cookies</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Ingredients</i></div><div><ul><li>2 c or 4 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)</li><li>1 1/2 cup granulated sugar</li><li>2 c light brown sugar, firmly packed</li><li>4 large eggs</li><li>2 c boiling water</li><li>1 1/2 - 2 c raisins</li><li>1 tea bag chai tea (e.g. Tazo tea)</li><li>3 1/2 c whole wheat flour</li><li>1/2 tsp baking soda</li><li>1/4 tsp salt</li><li>1/2 tsp cinnamon</li><li>3/4 tsp cardamom</li><li>1/4 tsp ginger</li><li>1/8 tsp cloves</li><li>1/4 tsp nutmeg</li><li>1/16 tsp ground black pepper</li><li>3 c old fashioned rolled oats</li></ul></div><div><i>Instructions</i></div><div><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.</li><li>In a bowl off to the side, rehydrate the raisins with the boiling water with the tea bag in it. After fifteen minutes, this will yield nice, large raisins with a hint of chai flavor.</li><li>Cream together both sugars with the room temperature butter. (This will require approximately 5-7 minutes of beating on medium speed with a hand or stand mixer with intermittent scraping down the sides of the bowl.)</li><li>Add eggs to the creamed butter and sugar one at a time and mix well.</li><li>Gently fold flour, baking soda, and spices into the wet ingredients by hand. Do not over mix these ingredients or your cookies will be tough. Only fold until the spices and flour are just incorporated throughout the dough.</li><li>Strain raisins from chai tea. Fold the raisins and oatmeal into the dough.</li><li>Place flattened dollops of dough that are slightly larger than a tablespoon onto your greased cookie sheet. </li><li>Bake for 11-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and have just begun to set. Remove and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.</li></ol><div>In the past week I have had more than my fair share of cookies, as I also received two delicious packages of cookies from my matches in the cookie swap. I enjoyed Butterbeer Cookies from <a href="http://www.peacelovebagels.com/">Peace, Love, and Bagels</a> and Peppermint Mocha Cookies from <a href="http://www.delectablebakedgoods.com/">Delectable Baked Goods</a>, and I look forward to recreating these special cookies and all the other cookies that were exchanged for friends and family once the organizers of this event have compiled together the recipes and posted them on one site. (Check back later for that link!) </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Wishing you a cookie-filled, spirited holiday! </div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-50982062129469907142011-11-18T15:03:00.003-05:002011-11-18T15:26:09.938-05:00Buffalo Chicken DipOkay, this post is even more unexpected than the last. While I was a die hard omnivore as a child and known for my penchant for ham and chicken nuggets, those tendencies have since subsided and I have not consumed meat in years. I will, however, admit that meat can be mighty tasty, so occasionally I will make meat-based dishes for my lovely friends. <div><br /></div><div>This here recipe is a classic. There is nothing special to it and it is extremely easy. I originally received the recipe from my cousin, but it appears as if this recipe is floating all over the internet. If you haven't stumbled upon it yet, (my omnivorous friends say) you're missing out! I particularly appreciate this recipe, because while it calls for grilled chicken breast, you can just as easily buy Purdue's Grilled Chicken Strips and use that, which cuts down on cooking and preparation time, as well as time that I have to spend handling the poultry, which currently gives me the heebie jeebies. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Buffalo Chicken Dip</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Ingredients</i></div><div><ul><li>2 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese (Reduced fat cream cheese is a nice option, because it's softer and easy to mix!)</li><li>1 c ranch dressing</li><li>1/2 c Frank's Red Hot </li><li>2 c cooked (roasted or grilled) chicken breast, chopped into small bite sized pieces </li><li>8 or 12 oz shredded cheese (I usually use either Colby Jack or sharp cheddar. I also go for 12 oz, because I'm a big fan of serving excessively cheesy dishes.)</li><li>garlic powder</li><li>paprika</li><li>cayenne pepper (optional)</li></ul></div><div><i>Instructions</i></div><div><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.</li><li>In a medium sized bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and hot sauce until well incorporated. </li><li>Add the chopped chicken. Fold the chicken in so that it's coated evenly with sauce. </li><li>Transfer mixture into a 9 x 13" pan. Smooth it out so that it forms an even layer. </li><li>Once even, coat the top with garlic powder. (How much garlic powder depends on your preference, but I typically use a heavy hand, because I love garlic.) After adding the garlic powder, give a light dusting of paprika to the top of it. If your crowd likes things spicy, at this point add a dusting of cayenne pepper. This works much better than trying to up the amount of Frank's Red Hot, which can make the dip overly saucy, in both flavor and consistency, and not actually spicy enough. </li><li>Top with cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is to your liking. Serve with your favorite dippers (celery sticks and blue corn chips are recommended).</li></ol></div><div><br /></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-15699424300074527082011-11-17T14:34:00.005-05:002012-05-09T13:42:16.977-04:00Green Bean CasseroleWhoa, wait. Caitlin.. eating green beans?<br />
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If you know me, you probably know that despite being a longtime vegetarian there are still some vegetables that I won't touch. For a very long time, up until this summer, actually, green beans have been my number one arch nemesis (with olives and gill-y mushrooms following a close second and third, respectively). Since joining a CSA, I have been working diligently on my relationship with green beans and have come to appreciate their flavor. So, when hosting a Thanksgiving party for my fellow first year graduate students, I figured I might as well continue making peace with green beans and tackle the green bean casserole. I had never had it before, so I went with the classic recipe off the back of the French's French Fried Onions container, but of course, edits had to be made.<br />
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What can I say? It turned out to be a hit! <br />
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<b>Green Bean Casserole</b></div>
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Yields: 9 x 13" casserole</div>
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<i>Ingredients</i></div>
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<ul>
<li>12 oz Pacific's Organic Cream of Mushroom, condensed </li>
<li>1/2 c milk (I used reduced fat milk)</li>
<li>1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce</li>
<li>1 1/2 lb green beans, fresh</li>
<li>6 oz French's French Fried Onion Strings</li>
<li>1/4 c Bel Gioioso's four cheese blend</li>
<li>1/4 c sliced almonds</li>
<li>1/8 tsp cayenne pepper</li>
<li>1/16 tsp ground nutmeg</li>
<li>1/2 tsp black pepper, ground</li>
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<i>Instructions</i></div>
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<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. </li>
<li>On the stove top, bring a large pot of water to boil. While water is coming to a boil, snap any woody ends off of the green beans. Afterward, chop green beans into 3" pieces. Once water is boiling, put the green beans in for a quick 2 minute cook. Immediately after two minutes, take the green beans out, strain them, and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking. Then, let them sit in cold water or an ice bath for at least 5 minutes.</li>
<li>In your 9 x 13" pan, combine cream of mushroom, milk, and soy sauce. Add spices to this liquid mixture. </li>
<li>Once the green beans have cooled, toss them and half of the onion strings with the mixture in the pan. Top with cheese and the sliced almonds.</li>
<li>Bake casserole for half an hour. If the cheese topping is becoming crusty, remove the casserole and cover the pan with tin foil and resume cooking until the 30 minutes is up.</li>
<li>After 30 minutes, take the casserole out from the oven. Immediately top with the remaining onion strings and serve! </li>
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Expect to see this recipe redone in the future with homemade cream of mushroom soup and onion strings. Last night did not permit trying out these endeavors, but hopefully there will be time in the future for these adventures. Also expect a post on sweet potato blondies coming up shortly! </div>
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<br /></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-74403187768946221222011-10-31T22:56:00.004-04:002011-10-31T23:18:29.686-04:00A preview of what's to comeSorry for letting blogging fall by the wayside so quickly and not posting last week, but that's what Snowtober will do to a New England transplant living in Pennsylvania!<div><br /></div><div>As hibernation season sets in, though, I tend to spend more time in the kitchen, so you can expect another post this week (or maybe even a third) to make up for my absence last week. Already on the menu for this week are renditions of the following, so get ready!</div><div><ul><li>Baked tofu</li><li>Kale, (vegan) sausage, and white bean soup</li><li><a href="http://peasandthankyou.com/2011/10/30/new-and-improved-pumpkin-molasses-cookie-dough-balls/">Pumpkin molasses cookie dough balls</a></li><li>Squash, squash, and more squash!</li></ul><div>Getting into the holiday spirit, I'm also looking forward to recreating some of my favorite comfort foods. So far I know I want to tackle a hearty vegetarian chili and a healthful version of loaded baked potato soup, as well as (vegetarian) pot pie, but surely I'm missing some cold weather classics. Any suggestions? </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Also coming up on the calendar is my participation in the first annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap! That's right! Come this December, I will be exchanging three dozen cookies with three other food bloggers! Exciting, right? <a href="http://loveandoliveoil.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=66bf80afd570fcb3c6194e49e&id=4dde41bf57">Sign-ups are still open</a> if you are interested. If not, at least stay tuned to see what cookie recipes I test out before finding the perfect one to send out to other food bloggers. You don't want to miss this!</div><div><br /></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-14929462905681801002011-10-18T13:57:00.002-04:002012-05-09T13:42:39.714-04:00Secret Ingredient LasagnaThis is a recipe for those days where you want to snuggle up with a big bowl of something warm and hearty, but realize that you don't necessarily want the full-blown food coma that comes after, because maybe you should be productive at some point during the day. Or maybe, it's that you don't want to feel guilty that you didn't go for a jog to balance off all of the scrumptious calories you just consumed, but instead would prefer to remain cocooned under a layer of blankets and your comfiest pajamas. Either way, this is for you.<br />
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<b>Secret Ingredient Lasagna</b></div>
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(Based on <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-to-feed-a-crowd-vegetarian-lasagna-157866">TheKitchn</a>)</div>
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Serves 12-15</div>
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<i>Ingredients</i></div>
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<ul>
<li>1 box (or 1 lb.) of no boil lasagna noodles</li>
<li>1 and 1/2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce</li>
<li>1 15-oz package of extra firm tofu</li>
<li>1 c part skim ricotta</li>
<li>2 c 2% shredded mozzarella</li>
<li>3/4 c shredded parmesan</li>
<li>1 15 oz jar of roasted pepper (I used in peppers that were stored in water and they still provided a ton of flavor!)</li>
<li>1/2 tsp paprika</li>
<li>1/8 tsp nutmeg</li>
<li>Salt and pepper to taste</li>
<li>Cooking spray</li>
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<i>Equipment</i></div>
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<ul>
<li>Large mixing bowl</li>
<li>Ladle</li>
<li>9 x 13" baking dish <b>or</b> 7 x 11" AND 8 x 8" baking dishes</li>
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<i>Instructions</i></div>
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<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.</li>
<li>In large mixing bowl, prepare to get messy! Using your hands, combine tofu, ricotta, and mozzarella with the paprika and nutmeg until all are well incorporated. </li>
<li>Spray all sides of baking dish(es) with cooking spray. Line bottom of dish(es) with thin layer of pasta sauce.</li>
<li>Place first layer of lasagna noodle directly on top of pasta sauce. </li>
<li>On top of noodles, assemble thin layer of roasted red peppers.</li>
<li>Create 1/4-1/3" layer of tofu and cheese mixture on top of the red peppers. </li>
<li>Spread layer of pasta sauce over tofu and cheese mixture.</li>
<li>Repeat steps 4-7 until pan is filled high and you have ended with a layer of noodles on top. Now spread final layer of pasta sauce and cover generously with parmesan cheese. </li>
<li>Bake lasagna until cheese is at your desired consistency. It will take roughly 25-30 minutes to get the cheese bubbly and an additional ten minutes or so for the cheese to brown and begin to form a crust. If cheese begins to brown earlier and you are concerned, cover the pan loosely with foil and resume baking!</li>
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(Note: Picture of lasagna is to come! Also, please see the side toolbars to the left of this recipe for fun following and sharing options!)</div>
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<br /></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8522443743947423450.post-29580581385293670892011-10-12T23:15:00.005-04:002011-10-13T00:17:45.523-04:00Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with 'C'!As promised, here I am posting a week later, my invisible internet friends! This week has certainly had its ups and downs, but so long as at the end of a long day I can find time to spend in the kitchen I can collect my cool and brace myself for the next day just fine.<div><br /></div><div>Today's post has been inspired by finally getting my hands on pumpkin! Alright, yes, it is from a can this time, but my CSA did just provide me with a rather adorable little pumpkin of my own, so I just might try my hand at making that into soup later this week! If not, I have another can of organic pumpkin puree in my cabinet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now while I wanted to make some pumpkin-infused molasses cookies, molasses was not something in my cupboard nor was it something I thought to purchase earlier this week. Instead, I bring to you what I can only think to call Autumn's Cookies. I realize now that they have a very similar flavor profile to the muffins I posted about last time, but I hope you can appreciate them nonetheless!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Autumn's Cookies </b></div><div>(based on <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-oatmeal-cookies/">Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div>Yields: 35-40 cookies</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Ingredients</i></div><div><ul><li>2 cups white whole wheat flour</li><li>1 1/2 cups oats (I used quick cooking oats)</li><li>1 teaspoon baking soda</li><li>1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</li><li>1 teaspoon nutmeg</li><li>1/2 teaspoon allspice</li><li>1/4 teaspoon ground cloves</li><li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li><li>1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter</li><li>1/2 cup packed light brown sugar</li><li>1/2 cup granulated sugar</li><li>1 cup pumpkin puree</li><li>1 large egg</li><li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li><li>1/4 cup golden raisins</li><li>1/4 cup craisins</li><li>1/2 cup walnuts</li><li>1 - 2 cups finely chopped apple</li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Instructions</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); "><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare cookie sheet by coating with favorite cooking spray or lining with a silicone mat.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Beat butter and sugars together fluffy.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Add flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt to butter and sugar mixture. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract. Mix well. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Fold in dried fruits, nuts, and chopped apple.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Drop tablespoon-sized globs of cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets in your desired size. These cookies do not spread out a ton, so if you want them bigger or smaller this is really up to you, but be sure to watch them carefully as their cooking time is bound to change. Also, if you want them flatter, be sure to press them down before you send them into the oven. Otherwise, you will have a fuller, puffy cookie. Either way- delicious and deceptively light and healthy tasting!</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Bake for 13-15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. This may be hard to discern, so feel free to take out the sheet after 13 minutes and insert a toothpick in one and see if it comes out clean. You can also test whether they are done by seeing if the top of the cookie still moist. You do <i>not</i> want this, because it means your cookie is going to stay uncomfortably similar to the texture of the original pumpkin puree.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes or until they can be transferred safely to a cooling rack without the chance of them crumbling apart during the move.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Enjoy once they're cool enough to consume!</span></li></ol></b></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514589541291563843noreply@blogger.com0