Whoopie Pies

The whoopie pie - a regional treat beloved of northern New Englanders and the Amish. It's two pieces of soft chocolate cake with marshmallow filling in between. And no, it's not a Moon Pie.

It's disloyal to say so, but I actually prefer Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with cream cheese frosting. But these are very, very good - made better (I think) when I bump up the salt in the filling. Salt cuts the sweetness and makes them irresistible.

Whoopie Pies

1/2 c. shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. plus 2 T. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 cup milk

Filling (note: I make 1.5 recipes of filling)

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/3 cups (4 oz.) Marshmallow Fluff or marshmallow creme
1/4 t. salt (I round the measurement and add more salt as needed after tasting)
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/3 - 1/2 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease or line with parchment 2 cookie sheets.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, brown sugar, and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla into the milk.

3. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture to the shortening mixture, beating until smooth. Drop the stiff batter by tablespoons on the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. They'll spread a lot while they bake!

4. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until they are firm to the touch. Check them at 6-7 minutes to be sure. Remove from the oven and cool on cooling racks.

5. Mix all filling ingredients together except milk until smooth. Add enough milk to make a smooth frosting consistency. Spread half the cookies with the filling and top with remaining cookies. These are messy, so it's good to wrap them in parchment or Saran wrap individually.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I am not one of those people who says, "You find the best recipes in church cookbooks!". But this is a good one: I don't know anyone who doesn't like it. I've changed and adapted it a bit over the years, but the basic idea is the same. If you like your sweet and sour chicken more saucy, just double the sauce ingredients.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into one-inch chunks
1 cup cornstarch
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. seasoned salt
1 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, 1/4 c. juice reserved for sauce
Vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten

Sauce

3 T. ketchup
2 1/2 t. soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Pour enough vegetable oil into a frying pan to coat the bottom and heat to medium. Combine cornstarch, garlic salt, and seasoned salt on a plate. Dip chicken pieces into beaten egg and then into cornstarch mixture. In single layers, pan fry until golden brown in oil.  Place chicken and pineapple in a rectangular baking dish.

In a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, and turn heat to low. Stir until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce over chicken and pineapple.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Stir and continue baking for 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Juicy Lucy Burger

Disclaimer: this recipe has nothing to do with our dog, Lucy!

Juicy Lucy burgers are native to Minneapolis - they're burgers with a molten core of cheesy goodness. Be careful, because the first bite is messy and potentially super-hot! They are fairly easy to make, as long as you tightly seal the burgers around the cheese. You can see a bit of cheese escaping from the burger above, but that's not a big deal. I like to serve burgers on slider buns - it always seems like there is too much bread in the standard buns. A great accompaniment are these five-star oven fries.

To make the burgers, form eight very thin burgers; put the cheese, folded into fourths, on top of one burger; then top with the other burger. Pinch the edges and form into patties. They should look like this when you start cooking:

Juicy Lucy Burgers

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 1 1/4) 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper 4 slices American cheese 4 hamburger buns, split

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper in a large bowl; mix well. Form 8, thin patties from the beef. Each patty should be slightly larger than a slice of cheese.
2.	Cut each slice of American cheese into 4 equal pieces; stack the pieces. Sandwich one stack of cheese between 2 ground beef patties. Tightly pinch edges together tightly seal the cheese within the meat. Repeat with the remaining cheese and patties.
3.	Preheat a cast-iron or other heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook burgers until well browned, about 4 minutes. It is common for burgers to puff up due to steam from the melting cheese. Turn burgers and prick the top of each to allow steam to escape; cook until browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside; about 4 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I don't use my crock pot a lot, but I wanted something that would be ready when we came home from church on Sunday. I made several changes based on what I had in the house, and it turned out great! If you don't have a crock pot, you could certainly make this on the stove - just bring it to a boil and simmer for at least 3o minutes.

When we walked in the house, Ben said, "What smells so delicious?". That's a great way to start lunch!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken (or you can cook a couple of chicken breasts in the soup and shred)
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1 can or jar taco sauce, salsa, or enchilada sauce (up to 16 oz.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers or one can drained Rotel tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt. chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn

2 T. lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
tortilla chips

Toppings: cheese, avocado, sour cream, extra tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place chicken, tomatoes, sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in corn and cilantro and lime juice. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. 15 minutes before serving, crunch a few handfuls of tortilla chips into the soup and let them break down. Stir.

3. Serve with toppings.

Crunchy Romaine Toss

I wanted a delicious salad that wasn't too sweet, and I didn't want to make Greek or Caesar salad. I found this one on allrecipes.com and changed it quite a bit.

It's definitely crowd-pleasing and kid-pleasing. Part of the draw is the crunch, so add the topping shortly before serving.

Crunchy Romaine Toss

1 small head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces

1 cup broccoli florets, cut into fairly small pieces

4 green onions, sliced

1 package ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded

1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans

1-2 T. butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 t. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Crush ramen noodles. Melt butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add almonds and noodles and stir around, toasting until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Put oil, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a blender or jar with a tight-fitting lid and process or shake until combined. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. If you aren't using the dressing right away, you'll need to shake it again.

Half an hour or so before serving, toss the broccoli with some dressing. When ready to serve, put lettuce into a bowl and add broccoli and green onion if using and half of noodle/almond mixture. Drizzle some dressing and toss. Top with remaining noodle mixture and serve.

Note: you'll probably have leftover dressing.

Thanksgiving's Greatest Hits - S'more Pie

I really wish I took a picture of my pie rather than using the one from Epicurious, because it definitely looked prettier. This pie was a hit, especially with the three men at my house. I personally don't love s'mores, but they do and went nuts. It's not a hard pie to make despite the three steps. It will definitely be part of our Thanksgiving menu next year, but I'm sure I'll be asked to make it before that!

S'more Pie (from Gourmet)

For crust
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs (10 graham crackers, about 6 oz)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

For chocolate cream filling
7 ounces chocolate chips, plus an extra 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 minutes

For marshmallow topping
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce package)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil for greasing

Make graham cracker crust:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter pie plate.
Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and press evenly on bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool on a rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Make chocolate cream filling:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put 7 oz. chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full).

Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.

Make marshmallow topping:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.

Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260°F, about 6 minutes.

Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and chill 3 hours more.


Brown topping:
Preheat broiler.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.

Soft Serve Banana "Ice Cream"

Growing up in New Hampshire, we had a soft-serve ice cream shop named King Kone. King Kone had never more than six flavors: usually chocolate, vanilla, twist, banana, black raspberry, and bananaberry. Their soft serve was excellent and the cones were huge, and if you ever visit Merrimack, NH in the summer, be sure to check it out.

This recipe doesn't really have anything to do with commercial soft serve, but it sure is good. And healthy!

Take three bananas (overripe or ripe) and cut them into pieces, then freeze. To make the ice cream, take the bananas out of the freezer and let them soften for a minute or two.

Put the banana pieces in a food processor and blend until the ice cream is light and airy. It will take about 2-3 minutes; scrape down the bananas as needed.

The boys love this - the first time I made it, I told them they were having ice cream for breakfast. It's amazing how creamy, rich, and smooth the bananas become, truly mimicking the texture and flavor of soft serve.

Bubbles!

Here's the recipe for big, gorgeous bubbles that don't pop easily. I quadrupled it to have enough for the galvanized tub.

Bubbles

1 gallon distilled water

2/3 c. Dawn dish soap

2 T. glycerin (I found some at CVS)

Mix together. You can make bubbles by bending pipe cleaners into fun shapes, or try cookie cutters. For big bubbles, slip two straws onto a long piece of strong and tie the ends together. Use the straws as handles. I've also seen metal hangers bent into a circle, but that sounds a little dangerous.

Beach Umbrella Cupcakes

I have so many good recipes to share, but I have been busy grading papers! I'm hoping to get some updates done this weekend.


Ben's preschool had their "water day" yesterday - they wore swimsuits and played with squirt guns. At least, that was Ben's description - I'm sure there was more involved! The parents provided hotdogs, etc. for lunch, and I brought these beach umbrella cupcakes. They are a great choice if you need something for an end-of-the-school-year/welcome-to-summer party. And they're easy, too!


Items Needed

1. Cupcakes and white frosting (I used a great new chocolate recipe that I'll share soon, and no-shortening buttercream)


2. Graham cracker crumbs (process graham crackers in a food processor, or whack them with a rolling pin in a plastic bag until they look like sand)


3. Cocktail drink umbrellas (I got mine at Party City - they were a little big, but I think the kids liked them because they were shiny. I snipped the sharp tip off the bottom.)


4. Fruit gummi tape (I bought this at Fuzziwig's, a candy store. I cut it up to look like beach towels. You could also use Fruit-by-the-Foot, but the stripes on the gummi tape are very cute.)


Frost cupcakes. Put graham cracker crumbs in a bowl, and dip frosted top of cupcake into crumbs. Roll edges to cover.


Attach "beach blanket" with a dot of extra frosting. Stick beach umbrella into cupcake.


I saw Martha Stewart use drink umbrellas for beach umbrellas, and she put these cupcakes on a tray interspersed with blue-frosted cupcakes with a paper shark fin sticking out. I adapted this a bit - I piped blue frosting in a wave pattern and then put a gummi shark on top (also from Fuzziwig's). Ben was more excited about the sharks then the umbrellas!

Parmesan Chicken Spaghetti

Here's a good recipe for when you need to bring a meal to someone - comfort food that almost everyone would like. And if you can't eat it right away, it can be frozen.

In the picture above, I used whole wheat pasta, but you can obviously use regular. A week later I made it for a neighbor and reduced the amount of chicken and added a thawed, drained 10-oz. package of frozen spinach, making it a whole meal. Just remember to drain the spinach thoroughly!

Parmesan Chicken Spaghetti

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chicken broth
(note: you can sub one can cream of chicken soup for the previous three ingredients)
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup dry white wine, apple juice or white grape juice, or chicken broth
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 teaspoon French's mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed (see here for an easy way to roast chicken)
8 ounces cooked spaghetti
2 teaspoons paprika
extra parmesan cheese
chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour, stirring constantly. (Or sub cream soup.)

When mixture thickens, add chicken broth, half and half, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, wine, garlic, lemon juice, dry mustard and salt and pepper.

Stir over medium heat until mixture again starts to thicken.

Add chicken and spaghetti noodles and stir well.

Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with paprika and extra Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Granola

This is really good granola! It's based on Alton Brown's recipe. I doubled it and was able to fill four of the plastic dishes above, with a little left over. Add some homemade vanilla yogurt, and you have a great gift for a teacher, new mom, or sick friend.

Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup pecans (Alton uses cashews)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour (on separate racks if necessary), stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Spring Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for Jack's school Easter party this week. I was inspired by this picture from Martha Stewart:

However, it's hard to find flat lollipops, and I picked up some Dum-Dums-shaped Airhead ones. I also found bright, funky nonpareils from Betty Crocker (Selects Sugar Decors) at Publix. I made three frosting colors: pink, green, and blue. Pairing the pink and orange nonpareils with the pink frosting; the green and yellow with the yellow frosting; and the blue and purple with the blue frosting made them really pop with color.

The kids went a little nuts when I brought them into the classroom. It may have been the vibrant colors, or maybe it was the prospect of (as one boy said), "It's like, cake - but with candy ON TOP!".

I used Martha Stewart's chocolate cupcake recipe and doubled it. I'm so happy with this recipe - the cupcakes are more like pound cake and are sturdy for transporting and decorating. And they taste good, too. The frosting is basic buttercream.

Spring Cupcakes (note: I doubled this recipe to make 24)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

12 lollipops

Green Fruit-by-the-Foot, cut into small leaf shapes

Buttercream Frosting, dyed green, blue, and pink (recipe below)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2.Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
3.Pour batter into cups, filling each just under the rim of the paper liner. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
4.Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with frosting using a table knife or small offset spatula. To decorate with sprinkles, put sprinkles in a small bowl and invert frosted cupcakes into the bowl, covering the sides and then the middle.

5. Unwrap lollipops and push into the center. Attach green leaves with frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Homemade Vanilla Yogurt

Update: I still make this yogurt a lot, but now I use about 1/3 cup blue agave and a couple of tablespoons of sugar. I also often drain it in coffee filters to make it thicker - more like Greek yogurt. I keep some plain for use in recipes. I've made it with a full gallon of milk, and that works, too - I just have to let it culture longer once I add the Greek yogurt.

We eat a lot of yogurt at our house - we use it in smoothies and top baked oatmeal with it, in addition to eating it for breakfast and snacks. The boys especially love yogurt. Sometimes I think it's Ben's primary source of protein!

I thought I wanted a yogurt maker, but then I learned yogurt is super easy to make in a slow cooker. I made some last night, and this afternoon the boys ate big bowls of and loved it. Lots of people make plain yogurt, but I though vanilla would be a good base: we can add berries, grated pear or apple, or jam to flavor it.

I'm very excited about the possibilities (frozen yogurt in the summer!), and I'm also happy with the short ingredient list: milk, plain yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. And clearly it's much cheaper and creates less waste than those delicious little 6-ounce cups of Yoplait.

If you decide to make the yogurt, keep scrolling past the recipe for some notes and tips.

Vanilla Yogurt

1 half-gallon whole milk (pasteurized, not ultrapasteurized)

1 container (4 oz. - 6 oz.) plain Greek yogurt (label should show live and active cultures)

3/4 c. sugar (I may use less next time)

2 T. vanilla

Pour milk into slow cooker and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off slow cooker and let sit for three hours.

Remove one cup of warm milk from the slow cooker and whisk it with the plain yogurt.

Add yogurt/milk mixture back to the milk. Recover the slow cooker and wrap the whole thing in a warm blanket or put it in your oven with the pilot light on. Leave it overnight or for 8-10 hours.

In the morning, remove one cup of yogurt. It should be very thick, like Greek yogurt or sour cream. Freeze this yogurt; it will be the starter for your next batch and will take the place of the Greek yogurt you used the first time.

Add sugar and vanilla to the yogurt, and chill.

Notes:

It would be best to start the process around 5:00 p.m. That way you won't have to stay up late to wait for the milk to cool.

You can use artificial sweetener if you prefer, or leave the yogurt plain and add honey or jam to taste.

Be sure milk is not ultra-pasteurized and that yogurt has live and active cultures.

From what I've read, it's best to start with whole milk and then try lower-fat versions if you like. Whole milk sets up best. 2% or lower may require a packet of unflavored gelatin to set up; I'll update this post when I try it.

Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy

This one goes out to intrepid commenter Alison! Note that there are only five ingredients besides salt and pepper.

I wanted to make our favorite grilled pork chops tonight, but we are living through the third blizzard of the season down here in Georgia, so grilling was out. This recipe is adapted from The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook. I added mushrooms and just a bit more butter and adjusted the cooking time.

Served with roasted mixed vegetables and parmesan polenta, this was a meal everyone loved!

Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy

4 4-ounce boned loin pork chops, about one inch thick (mine were closer to 1 1/2 inches thick)
4 oz. sliced mushrooms (break up the bigger ones)
2 T. flour
1/2 t. salt (can use a bit less)
1/4 to 1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 cups 2% milk, divided (I mixed a splash of heavy cream with skim milk)
1 T. butter

1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add pork; seal bag, and shake to coat pork with flour mixture. Remove pork from bag, reserving reminaing flour mixture. Place flour mixture in a small bowl. Gradually add 3/4 c. milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet (I used cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and pork; cook chops 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Add milk mixture; cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Uncover pork and turn to the other side. Stir in 3/4 cup milk and cook uncovered 10-15 minutes or until gravy is thickened. Check to be sure chops are cooked through - I let them get to 160 degrees to be sure. Thinner ones will obviously cook faster and will tend to dry out if you're not careful. Spoon gravy over pork to serve. Yield: 4 servings

Calories: 264 Fat: 12 g. Protein: 28.4 g

Morning Glory Muffins

I hadn't made these muffins for years! I wanted to make some as a thank-you for a sweet friend,and I decided to double the recipe. Good thing, because the boys love them!

They are super-healthy, especially with the changes I made. They make a great breakfast with a yogurt. And if you want to take something healthy to an office potluck, take these with some honey nut cream cheese.

They do call for a lot of ingredients, so I doubled the recipe (48 muffins!). I'll freeze what we don't eat over the next day or two.

Muffin tips: Use cupcake liners, and spray them and the pan with non-stick spray for easy removal. Start muffins at 500 degrees for the first three minutes, then turn them down to 350 for the rest of the baking time. This will give muffins a nice rise (everyone loves muffin tops!). These muffins are dense because of the whole wheat flour and the vegetable and fruit add-ins, so they will never look like bakery muffins.

Morning Glory Muffins

2 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour (I substituted 1/4 c. flax seed for 1/4 c. flour)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup shredded apple
3/4 cup raisins, golden raisins, or Craisins
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 500°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Stir in carrot and next 5 ingredients (carrot through pineapple); make a well in center of mixture. Combine oil and next 4 ingredients (oil through egg whites); stir with a whisk. Add oil mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon the batter into 24 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 3 minutes. Turn down the heat to 350 and bake for 15 more minutes, until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

Calories: 150 Fat: 5 g. Fiber: 3 g

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Jalapeños

"This is the best macaroni and cheese you've ever made!"

 I love classic mac 'n' cheese, and I wondered if the additions would detract from the traditional flavor. They didn't! I still knew I was eating macaroni and cheese; it just had a spark of flavor every now and then.

This recipe was developed by a Cooking Light message board poster named Canice. It's not light, but it is not as decadent as many versions, such as this delicious one from Martha Stewart. To make it more kid-friendly, I baked a portion without peppers in a glass pie plate.

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Jalapeños

8 ounces cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni
Two strips bacon
Two jalapeño peppers: slice lengthwise and remove membranes and seeds. Cut into thin half moons.
Two Serrano peppers, sliced thinly (retaining membrane and seeds)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1-3/4 cups milk, slightly warmed or room temp
6 ounces sharp orange cheddar cheese
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, draining after minimum stated cooking time. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.

While pasta cooks, prep peppers and shred/mix cheeses. Reserve one cup cheese mixture.

Using the same pot, cook the bacon until quite crisp. Remove bacon and set aside on paper towels. Reduce heat and add peppers and garlic to hot bacon fat and cook until soft. Set aside with bacon and wipe out pot.

Place butter in pot and melt over low flame. When the butter has stopped foaming, stir in flour and whisk continuously for three minutes, to cook out raw flavor. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook five minutes, whisking continuously.

Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, keeping mixture in motion until cheese is melted.

Crumble bacon into cheese mixture and stir in cooked peppers and mustard.

Pour in cooked pasta and mix well to combine.

Place in a heatproof 9x11 or casserole pan and bake 30 minutes, uncovered.

Remove and top with reserved cheese and cook 10 minutes more. Finish under broiler for a minute or two if you like the top to get crunchy.

Let rest five minutes before serving.

Have a Monstrously Fun Halloween!

The boys and I made these little brownie bite monsters as an adaptation of Bakerella's spider bites. Why can I not find shoestring licorice? Anyway, we bought the raspberry gumdrops for eyes but improvised with other candy we had in the pantry. They were really fun to make, and we had fun coming up with their goofy faces!

Phở and Scallion Pancakes

I used to eat phở at a Vietnamese noodle restaurant in Illinois, and sometimes I crave the unique anise/ginger/umami broth. I had some rice noodles from Super H-Mart and some ground pork, and Mark Bittman's recipe calls for pork rather than the traditional beef, so I decided to try making it myself.


I made the scallion pancakes to go with the soup because Ben is more likely to eat soup if it has some "bread" on the side - or at least some crackers or chips he can dip into the soup. Besides, despite the short ingredient list, they are surprisingly delicious! I first ate them with Korean friends, and I make them now when I need some starch to go with an Asian meal. They are also from Mark Bittman (his How to Cook Everything cookbook mentioned in the post below).


This is the time of year for soup for dinner - I love it, and fortunately, so does the whole family!

Phở (adapted from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World)

2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. minced garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground pork
salt
10 cups beef stock or broth
1 t. ground anise or 4 star anise
1/4 t. pepper
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, or 1 t. ground ginger
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla) kind of like Asian worcestershire
1 T. sugar
1 pound dried rice noodles
Toppings: cilantro, basil, Thai chiles, scallions, limes

1. Set a stockpot over medium heat and add the oil. A minute later, add garlic and chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. When onion is cooked, add pork with a large pinch of salt. Turn heat to high; brown quickly, about 5 minutes. Add stock, anise, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, fish sauce, and sugar.

3. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles in boiling salted water until tender (follow package directions). Strain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

4. When the pork is cooked, add the noodles to the broth and reheat them. Remove star anise, if using. Divide soup among 6-8 serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro, basil, chiles, and scallions, squeezing lime juice over all.

Scallion Pancakes (adapted from How to Cook Everything - Bittman)

This recipe makes one pancake, but you can easily double it.

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more.
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup boiling water, plus a little more if needed
1/2 cup. finely chopped scallions
1 T. vegetable oil
coarse salt

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly add boiling water, stirring until it forms a ball. Add a little more water if needed.

2. Knead by hand for about 1 minute. Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pancake out to about 1/4 inch thick. Press scallions into pancake.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium low heat. Cook pancake on one side until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides.

5. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve warm.

Spaghetti Sauce

I love spaghetti. I love the thin, flavorful kind restaurants serve that I can't recreate at home. I love the thick, rich sauce my mom makes and the fine ground beef and basil kind my sister-in-law makes. Marinara, bolognese, red sauce - I won't turn it down.

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And here is my current favorite way to make spaghetti. It comes from a prolific poster on Recipezaar whimsically named "Jo Mama." Here's her original recipe. I haven't really changed it, but it is easy to make substitutions based on what you have in the house. This recipe make a ton - you'll have enough for probably 3 lbs. of spaghetti, but it freezes very well.

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The whole family - even Ben! - loves this sauce. I hope you will, too!

Spaghetti Sauce

2 lbs Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or hot or combination)
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes*
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add 1 cup)
3 teaspoons dried basil (if you are using fresh, add 1/4 cup chopped before serving)
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1 lb thin spaghetti
1 T. butter
parmesan cheese

1.In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2.Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
3.Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4.Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
5.Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
6.Stir in red wine.
7.Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce, just be careful not to let it burn! If the sauce is thick and you would like to continue simmering it, add another 1/2 cup of water.
8.Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Toss with butter.
9.Add sauce to drained spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

*Note: you do not need to be too careful about which tomato products you use, as long as you are using tomatoes packed in sauce, not juice. For example, the last time I made this sauce I only had crushed tomatoes, so I used 70 oz. (the equivalent of all three tomato items in the recipe).

Make an Independence Day Cake - and a Memory, Too

This cake is from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). Not only is it delicious, it makes a great activity for the kids at a 4th of July barbecue. You bake and frost the cake, then let the kids decorate it with blueberries, raspberries, and more frosting. So what if it doesn't look as good as Ina's? It is sooo good - white cake with cream cheese frosting and berries, and it serves 24 people. If you try it, you might just start a new tradition!

Flag Cake

Ingredients

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:

2 half-pints blueberries
3 half-pints raspberries

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. (You can use an 11x15 jelly roll/rimmed cookie sheet, but don't overfill with batter - put the extra in an 8-inch square pan).

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

Serve in pan.