Have Recipes-Will Cook

Caramel-Pecan Sheet Cake

2013-05-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

I recently started following Weightwatchers again. I haven’t been on Weightwatchers for over ten years, but I knew I needed to do something when earlier this year during my vegan Lent, I only lost two pounds. Generally, I try not to equate weight loss with my Lenten promises, but (Come on!) I should have shed a few more pounds. I was obviously eating healthy, so I knew my problem was with portion control. And, Weightwatchers has been helping.

My only problem with Weightwatchers, or any weight loss program really, is that I don’t do well with someone else telling me what to eat and how much exercise I need. My mind plays tricks on me, and I end up cheating. Somehow I never think of it as cheating on myself, but as cheating on “the man.” I know, it doesn’t make any sense—it’s just how I am, and I have to work on that.

So, last week, all I could think about was cake. I’m not even a huge cake fan, but all I wanted to do was bake, and all I wanted to bake was cake. I found this recipe for Caramel-Pecan Sheet Cake in Taste of the South magazine. I’m not sure how I ended up with this magazine, but I received it in the mail, and when I saw this cake, I couldn’t resist the frosting. I’m a sucker for caramel frosting!

This cake is easy to make. I love sheet cakes for their technique. I used my hand-held mixture, but with a little fortitude, you could mix the cake and frosting by hand. And, who doesn’t love being able to pour warm frosting over a warm cake? It saves so much time, and keeps the cake tender and moist.

Les and our son loved this salty sweet cake, and were disappointed to see me packing it up to take to work. I wanted to bake a cake—I just didn’t want to eat it all! I am on Weightwatchers after all. My co-workers polished the cake off before 9:30am. Win!

Caramel-Pecan Sheet Cake
From Taste of the South
Printable Recipe
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 15x10-inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring butter and 1 cup of water to a boil. In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Add the hot butter mixture to the flour mixture and beat at low spread with an electric mixer just until the mixture comes together. Add the sour cream, beating well. Add the eggs one at a time and mix, and stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until it is lightly browned, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

Pour hot Caramel Frosting over warm cake, spreading to edges. Sprinkle with pecans. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.

Carmel Frosting
½ cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

In a large heavy saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar and salt to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and slowly stir in the sour cream.

Bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating at medium speed with a hand mixer until the frosting is smooth. Pour immediately over warm cake.

Corn and Heart of Palm Salad

2013-05-07T20:39:00.003-07:00

I love potlucks! We had a potluck lunch at work last week, and while the company brought in the main dishes, everyone else brought in salads and desserts. I know I just admitted loving potlucks, but my love is for homemade potluck dishes, and have you noticed more and more potluck tables are populated by boring store-bought items? I don’t love those, but I have to admit resorting to a store-bought dish in a pinch. I know, bad huh?

I usually try to taste all of the homemade dishes, and lucky for me, someone always brings something interesting. Last week’s potluck was no exception. My co-worker Jill brought in this Corn and Heart of Palm Salad. I was in the kitchen while she prepared the salad, and when she needed someone to test for seasoning (okay, I kinda forced myself on her as a taste tester, but she was gracious and let me try her salad.) And, since I got a preview, I knew exactly where to head when it was time to eat.

I love the combination of the sweet corn, creamy avocado and crunchy hearts of palm in this salad. Once you stir the avocado into the salad, it mixes with the lemon juice to make a delicious almost creamy dressing. Jill says this is her go-to salad for potlucks and parties. If avocados aren’t looking good at the market, she just leaves them out and adds a bit of olive oil. I added the parsley for some color and flavor, but it wasn’t in Jill’s original recipe.

So, next time you need to bring something to a potluck, try Corn and Heart of Palm Salad. It's almost as easy as picking up something pre-made from the grocery store.

Corn and Heart of Palm Salad
Printable Recipe
2 14.5 ounce cans of sweet corn, drained (or 4 cups frozen corn, thawed)
1 14.5 ounce can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
3 avocados, cut into chunks
juice of one lemon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the corn, hearts of palm, red onion, parsley in a medium bowl. Squeeze half of the lemon juice over the avocado, and add to the corn mixture. Add the rest of the lemon juice, salt and pepper to corn mixture. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad sit for 15 or 20 minutes so the flavors can mingle, and serve.

Vegetable Barley Soup

2013-04-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

It’s official—I now have two teenagers. My son just turned 13, and I can hardly believe how quickly the time has flown! I know what you're thinking—she’s going to blog about vegetable soup to celebrate her steak loving kid’s birthday? Not quite. He had prime rib on his actual birthday, but I did make this soup for the first night of his birthday party camping trip last weekend (along with these delicious sandwiches)

This was our third annual birthday camping trip celebrating my son’s birthday and Sandy and Brian’s twin sons’ birthdays. I was in charge of Friday night's dinner, and we’ve decided soup is a great way to start a camping weekend. Nothing is better than a belly full of warm soup for a cool evening by the campfire.

This soup is a very flavorful vegan soup. It is an easy dinner to make for camping or on a busy weeknight. I make sure to always have the ingredients on hand, and that is easy since the ingredients are either in the pantry or freezer. I love this soup! I especially love it the next day when the barley swells up and it becomes almost like a stew.

Vegetable Barley Soup
Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Printable Recipe
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1lb bag frozen California style vegetables
1 14 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 32oz containers of vegetable broth – I like Pacific brand for this
a few dashes of tabasco sauce
1 14 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup uncooked pearled barley

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for one minute, and then add tomato paste, basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until the herbs are fragrant, about one minute. Add the frozen vegetables, tomatoes, vegetable broth, tabasco sauce, garbanzo beans and barley. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until the barley is tender, about 30 minutes. Serve.

Breakfast Casserole

2013-03-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I hope you are having a wonderful Easter. I just read my Easter post from 2011, and it made me a little sad. In 2011, my Easter table was full—my dad and Lynn joined us, Les had the day off from work and my daughter was still in high school and at home. This year, Lynn, my son and I are having a quiet Easter with my daughter away at college and Les working, but the three of us attended a beautiful mass together and enjoyed a delicious brunch.

I’ve made this Breakfast Casserole countless times, so I was surprised this morning when Lynn said she had never had it. I guess that makes sense, since I tend to make Breakfast Casserole for Christmas breakfast, and Lynn usually comes over in the afternoon on Christmas for dinner. This casserole is perfect for brunch. You can assemble it the night before, and pop it in the oven to bake in the morning. It is savory and delicious and perfect with a sweet roll or a bit of fruit salad. I could also imagine it with a spinach salad with strawberries. Breakfast Casserole is the first to go on a breakfast potluck table.

Breakfast Casserole
Printable Recipe
1 28 oz bag of frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes
1 lb of bacon, cut into pieces, fried and drained
1 7 ounce can diced green chilies, drained
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the frozen potatoes in the prepared baking dish and top with the green chilies, bacon and cheese. Beat the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard together, and pour it over the potato mixture.

I usually prepare the casserole the night before and leave it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to cook it the next day. You can also prepare it the same day, but the casserole will take a little longer to cook due to the frozen potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the casserole for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges are brown and the center is firm.

Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew

2013-03-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to post a few vegan recipes during Lent this year, but I’m guess I’m just going to have to admit I'm a slacker during Lent. I have been cooking plenty of delicious vegan recipes, but I just haven’t been photographing them or blogging them. Maybe someday!

I'll just have to be satisfied with posting this recipe for Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew along with the Vegan Muffelatta Sandwich I posted last month to represent my Lenten vegan cooking this year.

Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew is another delicious recipe adapted from Bean by Bean Cookbook by Crescent Drangonwagon. The flavors in this stew are rich and filling. You won’t even miss the meat. Les and I enjoyed Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew for dinner one night, and then I packed it for lunch all week, and it got better with age.

Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew
Adapted from Bean by Bean Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon
Printable Recipe
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (regular or light)
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 Roasted Butternut Squash (recipe follows)

Heat the canola oil in a Dutch oven and add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the Serrano pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lower the heat and add the beans, tomatoes, coconut milk, agave nectar and roasted butternut squash. Heat for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly, stirring occasionally. Serve with brown rice, and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced green onions.

Roasted Butternut Squash
1 (1½ - 2 lb) Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the butternut squash in a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle the squash with olive and bake until the squash is golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes.

Vegan Muffuletta Sandwich

2013-02-26T21:15:00.001-08:00

The verdict is in! I enjoy the Academy Awards much more when I have seen the majority of movies (Seth McFarland not withstanding, but that’s another story)! I know. It’s not like my discovery is rocket science—most everything is better when you’re clued into details and inside jokes. But, I was worried it would bother me when someone won who I didn’t think should. That didn’t really come to pass. I’m not sure I agreed with the academy every time, but none of the winners were too ridiculous.

I usually catch a couple of the best picture nominees before the awards, either in the theater or on DVD, but I haven’t seen all of them since, I’m embarrassed to admit, 1997. And, it was easier then with only five movies to see.

This year, I saw all nine best picture nominated movies, plus Flight and The Impossible to catch Denzel and Naomi. I missed The Master and Sessions, but I plan to rectify that as soon as possible.

Now to the burning question—what did I make for our Oscar party? I made a vegan Muffulatta Sandwich. Now, don’t scratch your head and wonder why you weren’t invited. Les and I had a party for two. My son was home as well, but he wasn’t interested in the awards ceremony. He did come out for some of the sandwich. He loves anything with olives! He was also excited Argo won, since he stayed up late to watch it the night before.

I wanted to make a muffulatta sandwich, because I’ve been fascinated by the them since I watched Emeril Lagasse make one on television year’s ago. Les and I gave up meat and dairy again this year for Lent, so as delicious as all the Italian cured meats look in the original sandwich, I knew I needed a different filling. Roasted vegetables filled the sandwich deliciously. Les loved this sandwich, and I’ve made it twice now. I think I like the vegetables better than the meat. The vegetables add a juicy, flavorful compliment to the salty, tart olive salad. This Vegan Muffulatta Sandwich, can be tricky to eat (be sure to eat over a plate or a napkin), but it is worth it, and when you exchange the cured meat for vegetables it is healthy too!

Vegan Muffuletta Sandwich
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse
Printable Recipe
1 cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives, plus 2 tablespoons of liquid from the jar
1 cup chopped giardiniera (pickled Italian vegetables), plus 1 tablespoon of liquid from the jar
2 tablespoons drained chopped capers, plus 2 teaspoons of liquid from the jar
½ cup sliced Calamata olives
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large round loaf of sourdough bread (I used a green olive loaf)

2 small Italian eggplants, sliced ½ inch thick
1 medium zucchini, sliced ½ inch thick
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered
1 red onion, sliced ½ inch thick
½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, stir together the pimento-stuffed olives, giardiniera, capers and their respective liquids. Add the Calamata olives, garlic, shallot, parsley, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes. Stir in the olive oil and let the mixture stand for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the eggplant, zucchini, red onion and red pepper on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Bake until the vegetables are lightly browned and softened. The zucchini and eggplant take 10 to 15 minutes, and the onion and pepper take 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a plate when done, and let cool.

Slice the loaf of bread in half, and hollow out the top and the bottom slightly to allow for the olive salad. Spoon the olive salad on both sides of the bread evenly. Place the red peppers on the top layer over the olive salad. Arrange the red onion, zucchini and eggplant on the olive salad on the bottom layer. Carefully close the sandwich. Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.

Crabby Snacks

2013-02-07T20:48:00.001-08:00

This year, I’m on a mission to see more than one film nominated for an Academy Award—before the awards ceremony preferably! As of today, I have only seen two of the nominated movies. I saw Les Miserable with my daughter before she went back to Montana, and I saw Silver Linings Playbook last Friday night with a couple of girlfriends.

I thoroughly enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook, but the end was a little too romantic comedy for me after all the drama of the first half of the film. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I am bit food obsessed, so in the movie when Delores (Jacki Weaver) implores her son Pat (Bradley Cooper) to stay and watch the Eagles game with his dad (Robert De Niro) by telling him she made crabby snacks and homemades, I sat in the theater (with a Junior Mint melting in my lap unfortunately), wondering what crabby snacks and homemades are.

Little did I know, I already had the answer (at least to what crabby snack are)! In fact, I’ve made crabby snacks and blogged about them here. The recipe I have refers to the cheesy crab snacks as Crab Corners, but they will now be known to me as Crabby Snacks! The Crabby Snacks were very popular at our Atomic 60’s party, and I have it on good authority they make a great Thanksgiving appetizer.

If you are having a themed Academy Awards party – something I’d like to do, if and when I see more than two nominated movies – Crabby Snacks would make a great addition to your buffet table. Oh, and homemades? That refers to homemade pasta.

Crabby Snacks (formerly Crab Corners)
Printable Recipe

4 English muffins, split in half
1 6 ounce can crab, drained
1 jar Old English cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ cup butter
dash of Tabasco sauce

Mix together the crab, old English cheese, mayonnaise, garlic salt, butter and Tabasco sauce. Spread crab mixture on the English muffin halves. Place muffins on a sheet pan, and put the sheet pan in the freezer until the muffins are fully frozen, about 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the freeze and cut the muffin halves into quarters. Place muffin quarters in plastic freezer bags and back into the freezer until ready to bake.

To Bake: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place frozen crab corners onto a sheet pan, and bake for 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and bubbly.

Super Bowl Sunday

2013-02-03T14:34:00.001-08:00

I’m going to post this quickly before I head off to the Super Bowl party I’m attending. I’ve shared a couple ideas for your Super Bowl party (Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars and Nacho Topped Chili), so I thought I would share what I’m actually taking to the party this year. My friend Elva handed me this recipe on Wednesday, so I didn’t have time to share it before now. I didn’t even have time to test the recipe before making it today, but if Elva says its good, I’m willing to trust her.

These Sweet Spicy Chicken Bites are really tasty, and they are the perfect nibble for a party. The bacon, brown sugar and spices mix together to taste almost like barbeque sauce. Elva suggests serving the chicken bites with ranch dip, so I’m going with the ranch dip too. Thanks Elva!

Sweet Spicy Chicken Bites
Adapted from Paula Deen
Printable Recipe

1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 pound sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two cooling racks with nonstick cooking spray and set them into baking sheets.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut bacon slices into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with a slice of bacon securing with a wooden toothpick. In a large plastic bag combine brown sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Drop 4 to 5 wrapped chicken cubes into the bag and shake to coat the cubes completely. Place coated chicken cubes on the prepared racks. Repeat until all the chicken has been coated. Bake the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Serve warm with ranch dip.

Nacho Topped Chili

2013-01-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

So, what are you doing for Super Bowl? In my last post, I might have mentioned my football team is going to the Super Bowl (Go 49ers!!!)! Technically, it is not my football team—I am merely a fan, but they are still going to the Super Bowl!

My team going to the Super Bowl does put me in a slightly awkward position though. I usually like to focus on the food, the socializing and the commercials at the Super Bowl party, and I’m committed to doing all of these things this year, in addition to concentrating on the game. How am I going to do this you ask? I’m not really sure, but I hope to come up with something soon.

I’m also not sure what food to bring for the party. A friend at work handed me a fun recipe for chicken bites I might have to try, or I might bring this Nacho Topped Chili. I made this chili for my family during one of the playoff games to test it out. My son and husband loved it. I loved it too since it combines two of my favorite things to eat chili and nachos, and it did it beautifully! The chili is spicy and flavorful and the nacho topping makes the chili fun and delicious.

The original chili is a meat only chili, but I happen to like beans, so I added them to the chili too. I tested the recipe with the kidney beans and without, and my family preferred them with the kidney beans.

Nacho Topped Chili
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day
Printable Recipe
4 poblano peppers
2 large jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef (no more than 10% fat)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup tomato paste
1 12-ounce bottle beer (Rachael recommends Negra Modela, but I used Budweiser since that’s what I had on hand)
2 cups beef stock
2 14-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 bag corn tortilla chips
1 16-ounce can spicy refried beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Fresno red chili pepper
½ cup pickled sliced jalapeno peppers
2 green onions, sliced

Place the poblano peppers and jalapeno peppers on a baking sheet and broil them until the skin is blackened. Place the charred peppers in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap until the peppers are cool enough to handle. Peel, stem and seed the peppers, and place into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is pureed.

While the peppers are roasting, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the meat and brown well. Add the onions, garlic, and cook until the onions are softened. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the beer, and let it bubble a minute or two to cook off the alcohol. Add the beef stock, kidney beans and pureed peppers, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chili is thickened and the flavors have combined.

Place the chili in a casserole dish (your serving dish of choice) and top it with the tortilla chips. Dot the tortilla chips with the refried beans, and add the shredded cheese. Place the chili topped nachos in a preheated 400°F oven until the beans are warm and the cheese has melted. Garnish with sliced peppers and green onions. Serve.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

2013-01-22T21:03:00.002-08:00

We are very excited here in the San Francisco Bay area. Our 49ers are going to the Super Bowl! Last year we came really close, but the Giants beat us in the NFC championship game to go on to the Super Bowl and win it.

As excited as I am to watch my team in the Super Bowl, I’m a little out of my comfort zone. For the last 18 years, I have focused on Super Bowl snacks and my football pool numbers. This year, I’m going to have to juggle the snacks, the party, the football pool and rooting for my team! I’m sure I’ll be successful (I just hope I don’t have to hope for a safety against my team in order to win the football pool)!

I baked these Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars while the 49ers played and won the NCF championship game against the Falcons. These bar cookies are chewy and sweet with a deep rich flavor, and I love their texture! Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars would be perfect for your Super Bowl table (even if your team colors aren’t red and gold).

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars
Adapted from Great American Brand Name Baking
Printable Recipe

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 11-ounce package Butterscotch Morsels

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 15 x 10 inch baking pan with parchment paper that overlaps the ends.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch morsels.

Spread dough in prepared pan, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool completely. Cut into 2-inch squares. Makes about 3 dozen squares.

Black Bean Chili with Vegetables

2013-01-01T18:25:00.002-08:00

I usually take a few moments on New Year’s Day to, if not review the whole year, to at least review the last few weeks. Last year, I reviewed my “blissful” Christmas season. This New Year’s day, I am reflecting on 2012 as a whole.

My family went through some major changes in 2012, but we are blessed. I will always miss my father, but I had a close relationship with him, and I will always treasure the weekly lunches we shared in the last few years. I am also very proud of my daughter who did well her first semester in college.

While this year’s Christmas season was not quite as blissful as last year, I did love having my daughter home from college, and we did spend some time with friends and family over good food!

Now, I’m busy trying to get rid of all the sweets lingering in the house, and my meal planning is getting seriously healthy!

This black bean chili recipe is another holdover from our vegan Lent, and we all love it. It is full of vegetables, and has a rich flavor and an almost meaty texture. The chili is delicious topped with some avocado and cilantro, or if you aren’t vegan, top it with a little cheese and sour cream.

Black Bean Chili with Vegetables
Printable Recipe
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped, small dice
1 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped, small dice
1 pound zucchini, chopped, medium dice
1 cup frozen or fresh corn, defrosted if frozen
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of freshly ground black pepper
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons agave nectar
Juice from one lime

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne and black pepper, and cook stirring constantly until the spices are fragrant. Mix in the carrots, zucchini and corn. Add the vegetable broth. The vegetables should be mostly submerged.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender and the zucchini is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans and cilantro. Cover and cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Mix in the agave and lime juice. Add more salt to taste if needed, and serve.

Twice Baked Potatoes

2012-12-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

The Christmas countdown is winding down. Christmas presents are wrapped and menus are planned. In fact, I’ve just completed my grocery list for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Even with all of that done, I’m not sure I’m ready!

I wish we could have done more entertaining this season, but we did manage to have a small dinner party last weekend. Having a Christmas party whether big or small always helps me get more into the mood of the season.

I tried something different with my table this year, using red and brown as the main colors. I liked how the colors worked together to create a old-fashioned feeling table.

I kept the menu simple for this get together. I made Cranberry Salsa to snack on before dinner, and I made a delicious braised brisket, some roasted asparagus and these Twice Baked Potatoes. The Twice Baked potatoes were delicious on their own, but they were really good with the sauce from the brisket!

Twice Baked Potatoes
From HaveRecipes-WillCook
Printable Recipe
12 russet potatoes, washed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 sticks of butter
2 cups sour cream
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped green onions
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the potatoes with the oil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for one hour or until baked completely through.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise. Scrape out the inside of the potatoes into a large bowl. Leave a thin rim of the potato intact, so the skins can provide some structure for the filling. Place the potato skins on two rimmed baking sheets.

Add the butter, sour cream, cheese, green onions and salt and pepper to the large bowl with the potato scrapings. Mix the ingredients together until well combined. Fill the potato skins with a heaping amount of the filling, and place filled potatoes on two rimmed baking sheets. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serve warm.

Caramel Heavenlies

2012-12-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is only five days away! It usually rushes up on me, but this year it seems to have come entirely too quickly!

My daughter came home on Friday from college in Montana, and I’m loving that she’s home. I usually try not to worry about things I can’t control, but with my daughter flying by herself for the first time, and with a really short layover to her connecting flight, I was a basket case all day Friday. And, the news coming out of Connecticut didn’t help my anxiety. As I was listening in stunned horror to the news, I just wanted to have my children at home where I could hold them. Never mind my oldest is technically an adult now! Having both my children at home has helped my mental state, but I’m still terribly saddened by the loss of all of those beautiful children, and the adults who taught them and tried to protect them. My thoughts and prayers are with their families now.

It almost seems wrong to go about blogging with everything going on, and to be truthful; I’m not enjoying the holidays like I usually do. Missing my dad has a lot to do with my holiday blahs as well, I’m sure.

I’m trying to get into the spirit, so I accepted an invitation to a cookie exchange party. My friend Conny has been hosting this party for years, and I always enjoy myself. This year I’m going with an easy cookie recipe. I saw the recipe for Caramel Heavenlies on Midwest Living’s website. They are similar to Chocolate Toffee Bark, and they are just as easy. They taste a bit like layer cookies without the chocolate. I served the Caramel Heavenlies at a dinner party I had last weekend, and they were very popular. I hope they go over as well at the cookie exchange.

Caramel Heavenlies
adapted from Midwest Living
Printable Recipe
12 graham cracker rectangles
2 cups mini marshmallows
¾ cup butter, cut up
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cups flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch pan with parchment paper. Line the prepared baking sheet with the graham crackers breaking the crackers as necessary to cover the baking sheet completely. Sprinkle the graham crackers with mini marshmallows.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and add the cinnamon and vanilla. Spoon the caramel mixture over the graham crackers, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with almonds and coconut.

Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Cool on wire rack. Using the parchment paper, lift the bars from the pan. Cut into 3-inch squares, and then cut each square diagonally. Store in an airtight container. Makes 30 cookies.

Pumpkin Bread

2012-12-04T20:44:00.000-08:00

What do you give to your friends and coworkers for the holidays? Do you buy something or make something? Me? I usually make something to give. I’ve made dozens of cookies, spiced nuts, double-decker fudge and I even gave plum liqueur one year when I had access to a bunch of backyard plums, but this Pumpkin Bread has been a staple of my Christmas giving for at least 20 years. It’s hard for me to believe I’ve been making this bread for so long. The pumpkin bread is just that good. This quick bread is moist, tender and very flavorful, and it disappears quickly.

The recipe originally calls for baking the pumpkin bread in two 9 x 5 loaf pans, but I like baking them in the mini pans, so I have more to give away. You can easily double the batch for 10 mini loaves, but be careful because the batter come to nearly the top of my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl.

Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook
Printable Recipe
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1 14.5 can pumpkin puree
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour five 5¾x3¼ mini loaf pans.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and cloves.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the sugar, cream cheese and butter and mix at medium speed until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Mix in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in the nuts. Pour into the prepared mini loaf pans. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the pans. Serve warm, or cool completely on wire racks and store in an airtight container or wrap in cellophane to give as gifts.

Poached Pear and Tapenade Sandwiches

2012-11-29T20:24:00.001-08:00

We are now one week past Thanksgiving. All of my leftovers have been consumed (or never will be), and I’m happy to have them gone. As much as I love the Thanksgiving meal, I don’t usually want to eat any leftovers past the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. By Sunday, I’m ready for something completely different. I want something light and fresh. This Poached Pear and Tapenade Sandwich satisfied my craving for something different.

I had a similar sandwich when I attended a meeting up in San Francisco, except the sandwich there had fresh figs in it. By the time I went to recreate the sandwich, there were no fresh figs in the market. I wasn’t going to let a missing ingredient stop me, so I substituted poached pears for the figs, and I’m glad I did. I actually liked the poached pears better than the figs.

The sandwich is the perfect combination of salty and sweet with the fresh mozzarella adding a delicious creaminess. The arugula was my addition. I added it not only for color, but also for its peppery depth.

To make this sandwich for a crowd, you can slice the baguette open and fill it up, or you can cut the baguette into slices and layer the toppings on the bread for a great appetizer.

Poached Pear and Tapenade Sandwiches
Printable Recipe
1 baguette, sliced in half lengthwise
Tapenade (recipe follows)
Poached pears (recipe follows)
16 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 ½ cups arugula

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a generous amount of the tapenade on the bottom half of the sliced baguette. Add the sliced mozzarella, poached pears and arugula. Place the top of the baguette over the sandwich filling and slice crosswise into single serving sized sandwiches.

Tapenade
2 cups kalamata olives, pitted
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper

In the bowl of a food processor, add the olives, thyme, garlic and process until the olives are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and process until smooth.

Poached Pears
adapted from epicurious.com
4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced ½ thick
1 ½ cups red wine
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, bring the wine, sugar, honey, lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon to a boil, add the pears and cook until softened, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2012-11-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

I’m going to have to wish you a happy Thanksgiving quickly this year. I’m actually hosting Thanksgiving. I think this will be only the second time I have ever hosted Thanksgiving. Lynn likes to host, and I like being a guest for this particular holiday, so it’s always worked out. We are struggling with a couple empty chairs this year, so we decided to change things up a bit. My daughter is having Thanksgiving in Montana with a lovely family. I’m sure she is going to enjoy herself, but I’m going to miss her! And, we will all miss having my dad at the table.

Lynn will be over in a couple of hours, and I’m going to put the turkey in the oven shortly. Last night, while I was doing some prep work, I wanted to bake something (part of my baking therapy I'm sure). Lynn is bringing a couple of pies, so I didn’t want to add another dessert. Les suggested I bake something for breakfast.

I decided to bake this Pumpkin-Pecan Coffee Cake. I love the original coffee cake recipe, but I wanted experiment with adding pumpkin to it. I love this Pumpkin-Pecan Coffee Cake even more than the original. The coffee cake is sweet, moist and flavorful! I especially like the crumb crust this coffee cake has. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin-Pecan Coffee Cake
Adapted from Southern Living’s Our Best-Ever Cakes & Pies
Printable Recipe
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
pinch of salt
¾ cup butter, cubed
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup sour cream
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x13-baking pan with cooking spray.

Stir together the flour, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is crumbly. Remove 2 ¼ cups of the butter and flour mixture, and press it evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin, sour cream, egg and baking soda. Add pumpkin mixture to the remaining crumb mixture and stir until just moistened. Pour the pumpkin mixture on top of the crumb crust in the baking pan.

Stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture and pecans on top of the pumpkin mixture.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Serve.

Cherry-Lime Cream Mini Scones

2012-11-15T21:06:00.002-08:00

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I read an article about scones in Slate’s You’re Doing It Wrong column. How are we doing it wrong you ask? I think it’s, as always with food, a matter of taste. English scones, the article says, are more like a baking powder biscuit, while our Americanized version of scones are much too sweet and full of excesses (my wording). The scones I’ve had in English teahouses are light and flakey, and I think they are delicious (though I’m really more fond of cucumber sandwiches). I’m not sure I’m ready to weigh in as to which is better, but I found the article interesting since I had just made a couple batches of these Cherry-Lime Scones.

The only thing these Cherry-Lime Scones have in common with traditional English scones (besides the name) is the texture. These scones are light and fluffy and remind me of the English scones I’ve had in the past, but once you get past the texture everything changes. Cherry-Lime Cream Scones are very flavorful with the sweet dried cherries, tart lime zest and lime glaze. You won’t need jam or clotted cream with these scones, since they are tasty in their own right. So, sit down, grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy a couple of these Cherry-Lime Cream Mini Scones.

Cherry-Lime Cream Mini Scones
Printable Recipe
Adapted from Baking At Home from The Culinary Institute of America
½ cup granulated sugar
3 ¾ cups bread flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons grated lime zest, separated
1 ½ cups dried cherries, chopped
2 ½ cups chilled heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons
1 large egg
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of lime zest and the cherries, and blend until combined. Mix in the 2 ½ cups of cream at medium speed until just combined. Don’t over mix.

Divide the mixture into two equal portions and pat out on a lightly floured surface into two 10x4 inch rectangles. Cut the dough rectangle in half lengthwise, and then cut the dough crosswise into four equal portions. Cut each of the eight rectangles diagonally into triangles. Repeat with other portion of dough. You should have 32 mini scones

Place the dough rectangles on a baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. Once solid, scones can be place in a freezer bag, and can be kept in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen scones on a baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, and brush the mixture on the frozen scones. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Let the scones cool completely, about 1 hour. Mix powder sugar, 1 tablespoon of lime zest and limejuice. Dip the top of the scones in the glaze and place back on the wire rack. Let the glaze set and serve.

Mushroom Casserole

2012-11-13T19:48:00.001-08:00

I’m in denial that it’s November already. My daughter has been sending me snow pictures from Montana, so I’m having a hard time staying in my happy place where it is still summer, my daughter is home, and we are swimming and eating outside. And, to make matters worse for my state of denial, we set our clocks back last week. A sure sign of the changing season.
I’ve always had a hard time when we change the clocks back. While I do like the extra light in the mornings, I don’t like it getting dark so early, and I really don’t like feeling I’m late for everything. My body clock must be really tuned into the sun.

To counteract the panic I always feel trying to get dinner on the table the first week of the time change, I decided to make a couple of meals on Sunday (when I had an extra hour) to get a jump start on the weeknights ahead.

One of the dinner’s I made on Sunday was adapted from Rachel Ray’s Week in a Day. I’ve made other recipes from her show, and they were successful with my family. I saw Rachel make this mushroom casserole while I was visiting my daughter in Montana. It looked so delicious; I wanted to try it when I got home.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe, but the main change was to take out the milk from the polenta. I like this polenta recipe, and if you want to make the casserole vegan, you can easily do it by omitting the cheese.

Les and I loved this casserole. My son ate it, but it wasn’t his favorite. The mushrooms were rich and meaty, and with the polenta and cheese topping it, the casserole was a filling and satisfying meal. Mushroom Casserole would be a good dish to make during the holidays for your vegetarian friends.

Mushroom Casserole
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day
Printable Recipe
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 package dried porcini mushrooms, about 2/3 cup
24 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 carrot, finely diced
1 onion, chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup Marsala wine
1 cup stone ground whole grain polenta (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
½ cup parmesan cheese, optional
1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella, optional

In a small pot, add the porcini mushrooms and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to reconstitute the mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the mushrooms and water aside.

While the dried mushrooms are cooking, heat the ¼ cup olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the crimini mushrooms, and cook until browned and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, carrots and onions, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the Marsala to deglaze the pan. Add the reconstituted dried mushroom and the mushroom cooking liquid, making sure not to pour in the grit from the bottom of the pot. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a 10-12 inch casserole dish.

While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk the polenta into 2 cups of water in a small bowl. In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the soaked polenta whisking to combine, and add 1½ teaspoons of salt. Stir the polenta often, and cook until the polenta is thickened, smooth and fully cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add warm water if the polenta thickens too quickly. Stir in the olive oil, parmesan cheese (if using) and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Spoon the polenta over the mushrooms in the casserole dish. Top with the smoked mozzarella (if using). Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is brown and the casserole is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos

2012-11-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

As you know, back in February, my family gave up meat and dairy during Lent. And, for the most part, we did well. Okay, I’m not counting the trip my daughter and I took to Montana for a college visit. We had a difficult time staying vegan (we could manage vegetarian, but vegan was hard).

It felt good going without meat and dairy. I had more energy and I lost weight! My family rose to the vegan challenge. We tried new food, ate more fruits and vegetable and opened ourselves up to a new way of eating, and I’m glad we did it!

We did not remain vegan after Lent, but going without meat and dairy for six weeks allowed us to lose our cravings for meat. We are still eating vegetarian 60 to 75 percent of the time. We have had a harder time giving up dairy.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos are one of the holdouts from our vegan days, and my family loves them. You can serve these tacos with typical taco toppings, or you can keep them vegan by serving them with thinly sliced cabbage, cilantro, sliced avocado and a wedge of lime. Try these tacos next time you want a meatless meal.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos
Printable Recipe
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced (2/3 cup)
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
2 14 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
Juice from one lime

Corn or flour tortillas
thinly sliced cabbage
chopped cilantro
sliced avocado
sliced jalapenos

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Add the onion, and cook until softened. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and then add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne pepper and kosher salt and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, black beans and corn and cook until thickened 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the limejuice and serve in tortillas with assorted toppings.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Sauce and Cream Cheese Icing

2012-10-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I visited my daughter in Montana for Parent’s weekend. In order to squeeze as much time together as possible, I insisted my daughter get up “early” on Sunday, so she could have breakfast with Lynn and me before we left. She didn’t protest since there was going be more shopping involved as well. We didn’t have time to research breakfast places (when we travel, we like eat at places where we can’t eat at home), and since Lynn and I had to get to the airport before noon, we decided to eat at Ihop.

Lynn and I had some delicious pumpkin pancakes, and my daughter got the French toast Cinnastacks. We shared bites of our breakfast, and my daughter let me dip my pumpkin pancakes in her Cinnastack sauce. Her French toast was delicious with topped with the cinnamon sauce, but the pumpkin pancakes were amazing dredged in the sauce! They tasted like pumpkin cinnamon buns. I knew I needed to recreate the sauce.

There are a few sauce recipes out there, and I don’t know where the recipe for this sauce originated since it was in so many places. After trying this sauce, I think it is a good match for Ihop’s sauce. Serving the cream cheese icing on the pumpkin pancakes along with the cinnamon sauce is absolutely gilding the lily, but my husband insisted it was worth the effort.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Printable Recipe
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of clove
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1½ cup milk

Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove in a large bowl or 8 cup measuring cup. In a small bowl, mix together butter, pumpkin, eggs and milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir together until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
Heat a non-stick griddle on medium-high heat. Add the batter to the pan for desired-sized pancakes. Cook until bubbles no longer flow to the surface of the batter, then flip. Serve with Cinnamon Syrup and Cream Cheese Icing or maple syrup.

Cinnamon Syrup
¼ cup butter (salted)
¾ cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons half & half
1 tablespoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of cloves
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Heat butter, brown sugar, half & half, cinnamon, salt and cloves until bubbly and smooth. Add the flour and cook another minute or until thickened. Serve warm.

Cream Cheese Icing
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1¼ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and beat for another few seconds or until the glaze is smooth and creamy.

Country Salad with Barley

2012-10-25T20:28:00.001-07:00

Change and loss are the two words best describing my last few months. August saw us packing up my daughter and moving her across a couple western states to drop her of in Montana for college. Then, three weeks after leaving my daughter in Montana, my dear father passed away. His death was not unexpected, but it was very sudden, and it broke my heart.

One thing that has kept me going in my season of loss and change (besides the support of my family and friends of course) has been cooking. When I first got back from Montana, I jumped into what I described as my "therapy" baking. I made some amazing sweet treats like Southern Living’s Mississippi Mud Cake, Brown Sugar Pecan Coffee Cake, and German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars.

All of these sweet treats were delicious, and the precise measuring, stirring and timing baking requires, soothed me. But, there were only so many baked goods my family or co-workers could consume, so I had to move on to more savory fare.

I have recently been fascinated by Rachel Ray’s Week in a Day show on Food Network. I loved the idea of devoting a whole day to making food for the rest of the week, so a couple of weeks ago, I organized myself and tried her method. I woke up early on Sunday and made Split Pea Soup with Lemon, Andouille Sausage and Butternut Squash Gumbo, Green Pastitsio, and a big batch of this Country Salad with Barley.

Country Salad with Barley is my own take on a Trader Joe’s salad Les and I both love. I worked on the recipe until the salad tasted like the Trader Joe’s Salad, and I have it on good authority that I “nailed it.”

The original salad has a base of cabbage the grain salad rests on. I chopped the cabbage and mixed it into the salad. I also used barley rather than bulgur because I like the texture of barley better than bulgur, but be sure not to overcook the barley as it becomes gummy. The dill and cumin mix with the balsamic vinegar to create a deliciously unique salad with a nice chew from the barley and a crunch from the cabbage. I make a big batch of this salad so we can have it for lunch during the week, and it keeps really well.

I spent the weekend in Montana with my daughter and Lynn (my late dad's wife), and we had a great visit. I think with time and a lot of cooking I will start to feel less raw, and I'll feel even better when my daughter comes home for Christmas break (she will love this salad)!

Country Salad with Barley
Printable Recipe
4 to 6 cups of cooked barley (I use this technique for cooking the barley)
6 cups chopped cabbage (from one medium head)
1 cup of chopped cucumber
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1 14oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons chopped dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Stir together the barley, cabbage, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red pepper and garbanzo beans in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, cumin dill and salt. Pour the dressing over barley mixture and stir to combine. Chill the salad for at least one hour to let the flavors combine. Serve.

Ginger Cake with Fruit Sauce

2012-06-29T23:33:00.001-07:00

Hello! I’m back! Wow, I can’t believe how long I’ve been unplugged. No one ever told me how all encompassing the end of senior year in high school is for parents! My parents were nowhere near as busy with my graduation as Les and I were for our daughter’s!

Between college visits, senior prom, senior dinner dance (which was prom with parents and really fun!), the last choir concert, baccalaureate mass, graduation and graduation party, we were pretty busy this spring. My son also had a birthday week extravaganza, which included a camping trip during the same time. Add in a database change at work, I didn’t even open my laptop for days on end. Yeah, I know…blah, blah, blah.

I did continue to cook, and I have a couple vegan recipes to share, but I knew I needed something special to get me back to blogging. I made this cake years ago for a barbeque Les and I hosted for our dear friends Tom and Paula. Les was trying some baby back ribs on his new smoker, and I made a potato salad and this Ginger Cake with Fruit Sauce. We pulled the ribs out of the smoker and served dinner. The smell of dinner brought back memories of how my house smelled in high school. Unfortunately, my memories weren’t from delicious smells coming from the kitchen. No, my memories were from my mother chain smoking!

Dinner should never be reminiscent of a chain smoker’s ashtray! The ribs were too smoky, so needless to say we dined on potato salad and this delicious Ginger Cake with Fruit Sauce. Tom, being the sweet man he is, said the cake reminded him of a cake he had when he was younger. A cake he remembered fondly.

I love the flavors of this cake. Usually, ginger bread reminds me of fall, but when paired with a peachy orange sauce, ginger cake is all about summer!

Now, I normally like to bake cakes from scratch, and I had thoughts of using a scratch cake for this, but sometimes a doctored cake mix is exactly what is needed, so I have left the recipe as I made it 20 years ago.

This is a great cake for potlucks. It can easily be baked in a 9X13 pan and cut into squares to serve (skipping the cream cheese). I’m thinking about adding this dessert to my 4^th of July menu.

Ginger Cake with Fruit Sauce

Adapted from Treasury of Barbeque Recipes

Printable Recipe

2 packages (14.5 ounces each) Gingerbread cake mix

1 ½ cups water

6 fresh peaches, chopped (4 cups)

4 ounces light (Neufchatel) cream cheese, softened

Fruit Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch rounds pans. In a medium bowl, mix together the water and the gingerbread mixes until well blended (about 2 minutes). Stir in peaches. Pour batter equally into prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pans. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Once the cakes are cooled, spread on cake layer with cheese. Place second cake layer on top of the first layer, slice and serve topped with fruit sauce.

Fruit Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

3 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

3 fresh nectarines, chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch and orange juice, and then add the honey. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the butter and orange zest. Mix until the butter has melted, and add the fruit. Serve warm over Ginger Cake.

Portabella Mushroom Fajitas

2012-02-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

Last year for Lent, my daughter wanted to give up all meat, dairy and other animal products. She decided to become vegan for Lent; unfortunately, she decided this on Ash Wednesday. I flailed around trying to come up with something she could eat, but I was ill-equipped and ill-prepared for her to become vegan with such short notice. I think she starved for a couple of days before I convinced her to give up something else. I promised I would do some research, so she could be vegan for this year’s Lent.

True to my word, I have been adding vegan recipes (or recipes easily made vegan) to my arsenal, like Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili, Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors, and Barley Kale Salad. I’ve been doing research and testing recipes, and about a month ago, I was testing a recipe for red lentil burgers. I gave one to my daughter, and she said she liked the burger, but she wanted a “real” hamburger. I explained I was trying out recipes for her vegan Lent this year. She looked at me and said, “Oh yeah, about that, I’ve decided to give up soda this year instead.”

I walked away stunned. Really? Really!?! I had to regroup after her declaration, but when I came out of my shocked disbelief, I realized all my work could still be used. Les and I would cut out meat and dairy for Lent! Les was on board, so I continued with my plans. And, with her dad and me as good role models (yeah, right!), our daughter has decided to join us in our Lenten sacrifice (our son is another story). So, for the next 40 days, I will be posting mostly vegetarian/vegan recipes. I’ll let you know how it goes!

I tested these Portabella Mushroom Fajitas last weekend, and I will be making these quick and easy fajitas again. The fajitas are moist, flavorful and have nice meaty bite. I might add a little non-dairy sour cream or guacamole to the fajitas next time I make them. Yum!

Portabella Mushroom Fajitas

Printable Recipe

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of two limes

1 tablespoon tequila

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 small Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

3 large portabella mushroom caps, washed, stemmed.

½ yellow onion, sliced

1 sweet bell pepper, sliced (I used ½ green and ½ red bell pepper)

Corn tortillas, warmed

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the oil, lime juice, tequila, cumin, coriander and salt. Stir in the Serrano pepper and cilantro, and set aside.

Gently remove the gills from the portabella mushroom with a spoon. Slice the mushroom into ½ inch slices. In a large bowl, add the mushrooms, onions and bell pepper. Pour marinade over the mixture, and stir gently. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute the marinade.

Heat a scant teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven, and add the mushrooms, onions and peppers in batches, so you don’t crowd the pan. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the onions and peppers are soft. Pour any remaining marinade over the hot mushrooms and peppers. Serve in warmed tortillas.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like Barley Kale Salad! I did have visions of posting cookies, cupcakes or something else sweet and gooey, but after thinking about Valentine’s Day as the day to celebrate love, instead of a day to gorge on sweets, I decided to take a different path. The love of my life, the one I’ve been married to for almost 20 years, has been battling high cholesterol for most of his adult life. I’ve made changes in what we eat to help with his cholesterol, so we are now eating more fish, whole grains and good fats, and less meat, white flour and saturated fats. Some weeks are better than others, but on the whole we have been making progress, and his numbers have been looking good!

So, with my Valentine in mind, I decided to share my friend Beth’s Barley and Kale salad. Beth served this salad to go with my beans, and barbequed tri-tip for a camping trip last June (We eat really well on our camping trips!). I made her salad this Sunday, so Les and I could bring it for lunch during week. I packed Les some for his lunch Monday, and as I was sitting down to eat my bowl, I received a text from him saying he really liked the salad, and he hoped there was more for Tuesday. Awh, how sweet! I’m glad he liked it!

Barley and Kale salad is low fat, tasty and filling. The dressing adds a tartness that blends nicely with the kale, the edamame adds a nice amount of protein, and the cranberries are just plain yummy. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Barley Kale Salad
Printable Recipe
1 10-ounce bunch Lacinato (dinosaur kale), washed, leaves trimmed from stem and chopped
½ cup chopped parsley, one bunch
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar
Juice of two lemons
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Generous grinding of freshly ground black pepper
3 cups cooked barley
2 cups frozen edamame, cooked and cooled
½ cup dried cranberries

In a large bowl, combine the chopped kale, parsley and red onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Add the vinegar mixture to the kale and toss together. Stir the barley, edamame and cranberries into the kale mixture. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors combine. Serve.

Surfer Soup

2012-02-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

We are having a beautiful, mild winter here in Northern California. I would enjoy the weather more if the specter of drought wasn’t hanging over our heads, but we have had beautiful days to hike, bike and enjoy the outdoors. January and February are usually gray and drippy, so we don’t plan many camping trips or outdoor activities. The weather in October is a different story.

Northern California beaches are best in the fall. The summer fog is gone, and the ocean water is a little warmer than in the spring, although less cold is probably a better description. With the good weather of fall in mind, Sandy and Brian plan a beach camping trip for the beginning of October every year. My son loves this trip! We head to the beach campground on Friday, set up our tents, and hike down the cliff to enjoy the sand, water and a beautiful sunset before heading back up to our campground. The kids go up without complaint because they know they will be spending all day Saturday in the water.

Then on Saturday, while I’m sitting on the beach under my umbrella, our friends Janet and Tony are usually decked out in wetsuits riding the waves on boogie boards with the kids. This year, though, they roared into camp with surfboards strapped to the roof of their Yukon. This raised their cool factor enormously. I’m sure my son wishes he had parents like Janet and Tony! Never mind we never actually saw Janet and Tony surf. They used the excuse that the waves were better at another beach, blah, blah, blah, but they allegedly surf.

Janet was in charge of dinner on Friday night, and she brought—you guessed it—Surfer Soup! Janet’s soup was perfect for camping. She calls the soup Surfer Soup because she makes the soup in the morning before they head to the beach. When Janet’s family returns from surfing, they have a delicious dinner to help warm them up after a day in the ocean.

I made a double batch of the soup a couple months ago, so I stashed the leftovers in the freezer. I pulled the soup out for a quick dinner last night. The soup tasted just as good, and maybe a little better out of the freezer than it did the night I made it.

Surfer Soup is a hearty, healthy, low fat soup perfect for when you’ve spent the day surfing the waves, or if you’ve only spent the day surfing the net.

Surfer Soup

PrintableRecipe

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 15-ounce can petite cut diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 6-ounce bag of baby spinach, chopped

Parmesan cheese

Tabasco sauce

In a large saucepot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil, add the onion and cook until the onion is soft. Add the turkey to the onions, and cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, cannellini beans, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer, and simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese and Tabasco sauce.