Chocolate Almond Coconut Macaroons

I needed to make a dessert for a church activity and the idea came into my head that something Almond Joy-ish sounded really yummy. So, I came up with this variation of Coconut Macaroons that turned out great! Try this low-fat goody for the holidays!

Chocolate Almond Coconut Macaroons*

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. sugar

1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Whole almonds

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is an awesome brand)

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.

2. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites and vanilla till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold in coconut.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. (The cookies might look small, but they puff up to almost twice their size when baking.)

4. Gently press one whole almond onto the top of each cookie.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or till the cookies are lightly browned.

6. While the cookies are baking, melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler on medium-low heat. (I used a small pot with water in it and a metal bowl placed inside. Be very careful not to get water in the chocolate! Water will ruin the texture of the chocolate.) As the chocolate melts, stir until it is smooth. Turn the heat to low until ready to use, stirring occasionally.

7. Once the cookies are done, move them to a wire rack with wax paper placed underneath to catch drips.

8. (You can use a cake decorating bag for this next step, but I didn't have one of those.) Take a regular-sized ziploc bag and spoon the warm chocolate into it. Using scissors, snip a tiny hole in the corner - just big enough for a thin stream of chocolate to come out. Squeeze the chocolate until it comes out the hole. Squirt the chocolate out over the cookies using a back and forth motion to stripe the cookies with the chocolate. You can use all the chocolate if you want, but I found I didn't need to. I guess it depends on how much chocolate you like.

9. Allow the cookies to cool completely. Makes about 30.

Variation idea: Fold in a 1/2 cup crushed candy cane with the coconut. Omit the almonds and drizzle the chocolate at the end as normal. Yummy!

*Adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.

Raw cookies before being baked.

Light golden brown.

Make-shift cake decorating bag filled with warm chocolate.

Coconut Macaroons drizzled with chocolate. Yummm!!!

Candy Cane Cookies

I was going through my huge stash of loose recipes trying to condense and throw away the ones I know I'll never make. (Cheesecake with quince compote? Come on, really now.)

Anyway, I ran across an old, old family favorite from my mom's dismantled Betty Crocker cookbook from like the '60s. The book is long gone now so I only have a small collection of the pages. Anyway, the recipe is for Candy Cane Cookies. As a fun tradition we would make these cookies every Christmas. It's been years since I've had them so I was really excited to find the recipe again! I can't wait until Christmas so this week my son and I are making cookies! I just had to share it, so here it is:

Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 egg

3 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red food color

2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies

2 tablespoons sugar

1. Stir together 1 cup sugar, the butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir food color into 1 half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2. Heat oven to 375ºF.

3. Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoon sugar; set aside.

4. For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.

5. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

(Here's the link if you want the recipe from the Betty Crocker website.)

My mom mentioned to me a variation: dye half the dough red, the other half green. Twist the two different colored ropes together like you do for the candy canes, only form them into a circle for a wreath! I think I'm going to try both versions.

Ode To Fat

I could wax poetical about butter, but I've decided to talk briefly about oil - more specifically about deep-fat frying. See, the health world sees frying as bad, and I'm sure it is. I don't think it's wise to eat a ton of fried foods; in fact too much makes my stomach hurt. But I think there should be special occasions where eating fried food is not only accepted, but it is celebrated! Here is a list of fried foods that I absolutely love.

Around the campfire: fried refrigerator biscuits served hot with apple butter

At home with a good pot of chili: fried hush puppies

For dinner or at a good English pub: fish and chips

As a snack: Homemade fried corn tortilla chips with fresh, homemade refried beans

Aaaaah, they make my mouth water! Since I have some freshly made apple butter I am going to have to make those fried biscuits. It's been absolutely years since I've had them. That's enough justification, right? Now all I need is a special occasion. Let's see... Halloween is the next holiday. Let's celebrate!

Delicious Granola

Granola has been one of those other intimidating things that I screwed up once (a whole batch burnt - that's a lot of granola wasted) and have been scared to try since. This was really silly because granola is really easy - if you have a good recipe.

Well, a few weeks ago, in talking to a sweet, older lady whose grandkids gobbled up her granola I dared to ask for her recipe and tried it out. It was fabulous! I then created a variation of my own using the same basic principles. You should really try this out. It makes a lot which you can store in a plastic container or in glass mason quart jars and you have an amazing breakfast that is cheap and fast to make. Here is the recipe:

Sarah's Granola

7 c. rolled oats (not instant)

1 c. chopped or sliced almonds

3/4 c. pecans, chopped

1 c. shredded coconut

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. canola or vegetable oil

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. dried cranberries (or raisins)

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Spray two jelly roll pans/cookie sheets (the kind with a 1/2" lip all around) with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together by hand the rolled oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Next add the oil, honey, and vanilla. Continue to mix by hand, digging to the bottom and bringing it up to the top to help all ingredients to circulate well. Break up any over-large clumps. Mix until well combined. (Do not add the cranberries or raisins at this point. If they bake with the granola they will end up as hard as rocks.)

Spread the mixture evenly onto the two cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Stir and rotate pans. Bake for another 20 minutes or until mixture is golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir the granola around, otherwise it will stick horribly.

After the granola has cooled for five minutes, dump the granola back into the large bowl and mix in the dried cranberries or raisins. Enjoy plain or with milk! Once completely cool, store granola in a cool, dry place.

***Note: Feel free to add or remove the add-ins and spices with your own favorites. On my last batch I added nutmeg and cardamom. Here are some more suggestions:

*raw sunflower seeds

*flax seeds

*walnuts

*pumpkin seeds

*dried bananas

*dried apples

*nutmeg

*cardamom

*ginger

*allspice

*pumpkin pie spice

*almond extract

Get fancy! Have fun!

Triumphant Mozzarella Cheese

At last! I have made a successful mozzarella cheese. Go to my homesteading blog here to read about my long awaited triumph!

Baking Pumpkins

In October 2005 I bought some pumpkins and attempted to bake and puree them to store in the freezer. It was horrible. I had to keep adding water so the blender wouldn't choke up and then the pumpkin was so watered down it hardly tasted like pumpkin anymore. Needless to say I never tried baking pumpkin again. Until today.

Four years later I'm at the store and see sugar pumpkins for sale. They have this huge sticker on the bottom. I take a peek and it's a sticker telling me how to bake the little suckers! It was a brilliant marketing tool because I bought three. I realize now that I could have looked it up online long ago, but, well, I just didn't.

Baking pumpkin from scratch is no picnic. You have to cut out the stem, slice the thing in half and scoop out the innards. The scooping and scraping is what takes a goodly amount of time and elbow grease. You're probably wondering why I don't just behave like a normal person and get my pumpkin with the maximum effort of cranking a can opener. But let me tell you. After scraping the heck out of those pumpkins, setting them in to bake, having the pumpkiny aroma waft through my house, and then having the satisfaction of mashing the beautiful golden flesh to a happy mushiness was all I needed to tell myself that I would do it all again in a heartbeat; not to mention the delicious side benefit of munching the roasted pumpkin seeds.

So, I share the recipe I used that I should have had all those years ago. I will never be pumpkinless again in the fall. Even if there are backup cans of pumpkin on my shelf. :-)

Baked Pumpkin

Cut pumpkin in half without the stem. Scoop out the seeds and strings. (Easier said than done. HA!) Lightly grease foil or spray with cooking spray. Place cut down on foil lined baking sheets. Cover with foil. (I didn't, but it turned out fine.) Bake 350ºF until tender - 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Scoop out flesh and mash with potato masher until smooth. Drain if too watery.

Mashed pumpkin will hold 5 days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it.

**Note: It's almost impossible to get all the strings off the pumpkin. I scraped until I was too tired for perfection, and then as I mushed it up after baking I kept an eye out for any stringiness. It all turned out fine, so just do your best and don't worry if it's not perfect!

To use in a pie:

1 1/3 c. smooth pumpkin

1 1/3 c. sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 c. hot water

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Pour into 9" pie shell. Bake at 375ºF for 55 to 65 minutes. (Center will still move slightly.) Cool and enjoy.

Baked Pumpkin

Scooping out the baked pumpkin flesh.

Mashed pumpkin - isn't it a beautiful color?

Instead of Canned Soda...

I just think this is brilliant for personal sized beverages on the go made in the comfort of your own home. Check it out HERE. Great idea, Jenna!

Apple Butter

Another one of my fall favorites is apple butter. Growing up it was a staple, especially in the autumn when the apples were in season. If you ever get the chance to make this, please do, because it is so delicious and unique a spread. And it's fat free! The "butter" just refers to its spreadable consistancy like peanut butter. If you'd like to read more of my musings on this wonderful stuff, read about it on my homesteading blog HERE.

Apple Butter*

6 pounds tart cooking apples, cored and quartered (18 cups) (I also like to use different types of apples to give it a more complex flavor.)

6 cups apple cider or apple juice (If you can, use apple cider - the non-see through kind usually only available when in season. Cider just has a richer flavor.)

3 cups sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1. In an 8 or 10-quart kettle or large pot, combine apples and cider or juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press through a food mill. (You should have about 13 cups pulp.)

2. Return pulp to kettle. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 2 hours or till very thick, stirring often.

3. Spoon hot apple butter into hot, sterilized pint or half-pint jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust lids. Process in boiling-water canner for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Once opened, keep refrigerated.

Makes about 8 half-pints.

Beef Stew

In honor of my wishful thinking that autumn were here, I've decided to post my favorite beef stew recipe. I actually only have one recipe, but it's turned out so wonderfully every time I make it that I haven't tried looking for another. I made some just yesterday and it's just so warm, filling, and savory - and it goes great with a chewy, crusty baguette and a hunk of yummy cheese! (Side note: I tried a new, lovely French cheese called Belvedere Tomme. It has an apple cider rind and a hint of apple flavor to the cheese which was also very fragrant, but it was oh, so delicious. It's so much fun trying new cheese!) Okay, on to the recipe.

Beef Stew*

1 pound beef or pork stew meat (I get whatever is on sale)

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

3 1/2 - 4 cups vegetable juice cocktail (I have to open a big can of the juice, so I try to use as much of it as I can!)

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tsp. instant beef bouillon granules or Better Than Bouillon Beef Paste (the paste is awesome!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

2 1/4 cups cubed, peeled potatoes

2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1. In a large saucepan brown meat in hot oil. In a medium to large pot put in the meat cubes, add juice cocktail, onion, bouillon granules, garlic, basil, and thyme. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

2. Ladel out a cup of the beef stew broth into a small bowl and whisk in the flour. If the paste is too thick, add a little more broth until the paste is smooth. Pour the paste into the pot, whisking to blend well. (This paste will get the stew to thicken.)

3. Cover and simmer 1 to 1 1/4 hours for beef (30 minutes for pork) or till meat is nearly tender. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery. Cover; simmer 30 minutes more. Skim fat if needed.

Makes 4 main-dish servings.

*This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

Ooooooh, heavenly! I think this is the best tasting bread I've ever made, and that's saying something for me who has had so, so many loaves of bread fail into miserable little bricks.

I used this amazingly easy recipe featured in Mother Earth News magazine for "Artisan Bread in 5 Mnutes a Day." But before I stirred all the ingredients together, I tossed in some tiny diced jalapenos (from my garden!), and some shredded sharp cheddar cheese. It was so amazing! And not that spicy, which is good, because I can only handle so much heat. The jalapenos are important becuse they add such a delicious, wonderful flavor which the sharp cheddar compliments so well. TRY IT!

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

Put bread ingredients in the bowl according to the bread recipe.

Before mixing, add in 1/4 - 3/4 cups of diced jalapenos depending on how hot you want it. (After baking, a lot of my jalapeno bits lost their heat.)

Shred about 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese and toss into the bowl. Stir, making sure to coat the cheese with the flour so the shreds don't stick all together. Mix according to bread recipe directions. Chill until ready to bake. Follow the rest of the bread recipe.

**Bakers note: I have had this bread come out doughy before. The best way to avoid this is to take the bread's temperature! As soon as it reaches 190º F deep inside the loaf, you know it's done.

Sticky Chicken

You want super easy and super yummy? Try this recipe out!

Sticky Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts, skinned and deboned (or 2 regular-sized cans of chicken, drained)

1 cup apricot jam

1 cup fat-free Catalina salad dressing

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1. Cut chicken into thin strips. Saute in a skillet coated with cooking spray until lightly browned.

2. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour over chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes leaving lid slightly ajar. Serve over rice with your favorite veggies on the side.

3. Makes 6 servings.

Food Tip #1

So, I don't know how many food tips I have to offer, but I thought this one was worth mentioning. We'll see if I can think of some more to add to the list.

I don't know about you, but I am a person that is perfectly willing to eat the ends of loaves of bread... if there's no other bread in the house. I like crust. I just like the middle slices better, that's all. So what ends up happening is that bread packages with 2 end pieces accumulate in my fridge for weeks and (more realistically) months. Since they're refrigerated they don't get moldy too quickly either. After awhile, though, digging around the multitudes of bags gets annoying so I haul out my food processor and all the bread ends. Then I grind them all up into crumbs and Voila! Bread crumbs for future recipes. Then I put them all in a ziploc bag and stick them in the freezer until they're wanted. Or they get shoved to the back only to be forgotten all over again. Those poor bread ends...

But really. Having a fresh (frozen) supply of bread crumbs is a very smart thing to have and you don't have to buy these.

Cherry Pie Filling and Cherry Preserves

I had to write about my latest cooking escapade - canning cherries. I'd never done it before in my life, but when you get a canner for Christmas and have friends begging you to pick as many cherries from their tree as you can, then you get me - completely amitious. I think everything turned out rather well and I'm so proud of myself! I'd say that canning the preserves is far easier than canning pie filling because preserves requires chopping the cherries up in a food processor while the pie fililng requires you to blanch the cherries in water and to keep them hot while you make the filling. Yikes! I was surprised I had enough bowls.

Also, one important note: If you are ever going to make homemade fresh or canned pie filling don't use cornstarch! I mean it. Just don't. I canned apple pie filling last year using cornstarch and now it is all clumpy and separated. Instead, you should use this wonderful product called modified corn starch. It makes the most amazingly smooth and thick pie filling - just like you'd pour out of a can. It's just so much easier to work with and it's a lot more stable for canning. Give it a try! (I found it in the grocery aisle with the regular cornstarch.)

Anyway, here are some pictures:

The Cherries. Aren't they beautiful?

The pitted cherries floating in water and lemon juice. (Pitting takes a long, long time!)

I didn't get a picture of the cooking cherries, but here is the pie filling in the canner. Because of our elevation they had to cook for 40 minutes!

The finished cherry pie filling with a small jar of cherry preserves on the right. You can tell a big difference between the pie filling where I used water (on the left) and where I used cherry juice (in the middle). The flavor was quite different too. I can't wait to see how different they taste in a pie or a crisp! Yummy!

If anyone is interested in the recipes I used, just let me know. I have to transcribe it with my notes from the huge and overly detailed webpage from where I got it.

***And a BIG thank you to Clair and Damon for donating their cherries to me! :-) ***

Watergate Cake

Yes! Watergate inspired a cake. Actually, I think it was thus named because this recipe uses pistachio pudding and pistachio pudding became uber popular about the same time as the Watergate scandal.

Anyway, I absolutely love this cake. And I'm not a huge cake fan. There's something about pistachio pudding in a cake that makes me giggle.

So, without further ado -

Watergate Cake*

1 white cake mix

3 eggs

1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding (dry)

1 cup oil (or do 1/2 oil, 1/2 applesauce for less fat)

1 cup 7-Up

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Prepare a 9x13-inch pan according to instructions on the cake mix box. Mix ingredients in order given, making sure to combine everything well. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1 small container whipped topping

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 pkg. (3 oz.) instant pistachio pudding (dry)

In a medium bowl, dump in the whipped topping and fold in the chopped nuts and dry pudding mix until well combined. Use to frost the cooled cake. Keep frosted cake in the refrigerator.

*Adapted from a southernfood.about.com recipe

Homemade Marshmallows

You can make homemade marshmallows?????? Why has this never occurred to me? I came across a cool blog post from Smitten Kitchen that talked about making homemade marshmallows. Check the recipe out through the link! It has awesome pictures. And I am going to make some today. YES!

Victorious Bread!

Isn't it beautiful?

I was so put out by the miserable brick of whole wheat bread that I made a completely different bread - using bread flour for the first time. I don't know if the bread flour made a difference, but the bread turned out awesome! I even had a slice of it for toast this morning (and I've never had bread good enough for toast before.) And I just can't get over how beautiful and golden it turned out. *rapturous sigh*

So, I had to share the recipe. I know there are thousands of bread recipes out there, but the one thing that stood out to me in this recipe is that it tells you to test the temperature of the inside of the loaf to determine if it's done. THANK YOU! I was always so frustrated with the "tap the loaf to see if it sounds hollow". What the heck is that supposed to sound like?? The bread-tapping method is like testing a watermelon. You knock it and listen and you think it sounds hollow, but you don't really know if it's good until you open it and when you do, it's too late! Darn tapping. Forget you! And it's a good thing I took the bread's temperature. I would have taken it out 10 minutes too early!

(I got this recipe from the bag of King Arthur flour.)

Oatmeal Bread

Makes good sandwiches and toast!

3 cups bread flour (I used King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. brown sugar or honey

2 tsp. instant yeast or 1 packet active dry yeast*

1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk

3/4 cup raisins or currants (optional)

1 Tbsp. melted butter

*If you use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with an electric hand mixer, mixing to form a shaggy dough. (I started with 1 cup of the flour, mixed everything and then mixed in the rest of the flour.) Knead dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (5 minutes) till it's smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface, shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, cover the pan (with lightly greased plastic wrap), and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till it's crested 1 to 2 inches over the rim of the pan. 

Gently brush the  melted butter on the top of the loaf. Bake the bread in a preheated 350ºF oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted into the center registers 190ºF. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking. 

Yield: 1 loaf

Strawberry, Rhubarb, & Raspberry Crisp

Since strawberries and rhubarb are in season right now, I thought I'd post this recipe that I found at real-restaurant-recipes.com which I also tweaked a bit. I have never eaten or baked with rhubarb before. It's one of those intimidating plants that I've never ventured to experiment with. BUT a woman I bought eggs from at the farmers' market was selling some rhubarb, so I thought I'd give it a whirl! I just barely made this crisp. As it is still cooling I only took a little taste of the syrupy goodness and it tasted amazing! 

***Health Note: This is low in fat, but it has 1 1/2 cups of sugar total. I guess you can't always have everything! 

***For other non-dessert ideas using rhubarb check out this article from Mother Earth News!

Strawberry, Rhubarb & Raspberry Crisp

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped in pieces

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced or chopped

1/2 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh

3/4 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. orange juice 

Topping:

2/3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

5 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. butter, margarine or butter/margarine blend

5 Tbsp. pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. 

2. Butter or spray with cooking spray a 8 x 8 inch baking pan.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine and toss the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice. Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish.

4. Mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or use your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

5. Mix in chopped nuts and sprinkle over the fruit mixture.

6. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, 30 - 35 minutes. 

7. Let cool and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

YUM!

Making Mistakes

So, I've had 3 baking mistakes or failed experiments in the past 2 weeks. Quite a trial to be sure. If anyone knows me, they've known I've been cooking for a long time and I can come out with some pretty tasty stuff. But not always. Here are the unluckies:

1. Mozzarella cheese - the recipe turned out some pretty tasty ricotta cheese, but not mozzarella. I'm pretty positive it was the milk, so I'm not to blame. ;-)

2. Applets & Cotlets - That's right, Aurora, my first attempt was a total screw-up! Okay, so it did set and they were tasty, but the blackberry flavor was a little strong. I should have added some applesauce to lighten it up a bit. Good thing blackberries were on sale...

3. 100% Whole Wheat Bread - This one escapes me every time!!! My bread was a solid, dense brick. Edible, but not that enjoyable. I don't get it. Is it the altitude? Do I not let it rise long enough? I made some white bread a week ago that was so delicious that I rapturously cherish the wonderful little recipe it came from. But wheat bread? Why, oh why must you be so elusive? Does anyone out there know how to make good whole wheat sandwich bread? I'm determined to not buy any more bread!

So, this just goes to show you that it doesn't matter how long you've been cooking or baking. Learning comes from mistakes. If you do make a mistake, or you use a dud recipe, just move on and hope the dog will eat the failed attempt. (Or that the husband and kids won't notice...)

Two Words for Amazing: Tarka Dhal

I've had a few requests, so here it is! This Indian recipe does have a lot of ingredients, but don't let that intimidate you! It is absolutely amazing,  yummy, healthy,  and completely addicting. You can serve it with warmed whole wheat tortillas, but making the chapti bread is worth it too. And very easy. 

Tarka Dhal 

 Ingredients

1/2 cup(s) dry red lentils, rinsed 

1 cup(s) water 

2 medium scallion(s), chopped (or 1/2 yellow onion, chopped) 

1 tsp yellow mustard seed 

2 clove(s) garlic clove(s) 

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, (8 seeds) 

1 tsp ground ginger 

1 cup(s) canned tomato sauce 

1/2 tsp sea salt 

2 medium tomatoes 

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

4 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional) 

1/2 tsp garam masala 

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

1 tsp olive oil 

Instructions

1. In a pan, cook the rinsed red lentils with the water by bringing to a boil and then simmering with the lid on until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. The lentils will get very foamy, so use a large pan. You may need to vent the lid a little. 

2. In a non-stick pan saute the onions in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and cover and cook until they start to pop. Add the cloves of garlic, crushed, the fenugreek seeds and ginger powder. 

3. Stir and add 1 can of tomato sauce. Add the salt and stir in the cooked lentils. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, diced, lemon juice and the fresh cilantro, if desired. Simmer for about 5 minutes. 

4. Place in a serving dish. Add the garam masala and cayenne pepper or chili powder. 

Serve with warm chapati bread or over rice. 

Pasta + Herbs + Tomatoes + Lemonade = LOVE

I have to tell you about this amazing, yummy meal I made today. Somehow the cooking stars were aligned. :-) I had a fridge and a counter full of produce that I needed to use and I knew I wanted to make pasta with the fresh oregano and spinach I got at the farmers market today. This is what I did:

Stir fried one chopped onion, one chopped red pepper, and about 8 small tomatoes in olive oil. Then I chucked in the sliced spinach and cooked until it wilted. Added some salt and pepper. Then I opened two cans of crushed tomatoes and poured that into a pot. I added about a tablespoon of brown sugar and then added the veggie mixture. I then chucked in the chopped, fresh oregano, some of my cinnamon basil from my window herbs stirred it until it was heated and served it over pasta with our local cheese factory's Parmesan cheese. It was amazing!! And there was no meat, so the calories were pretty low. Then, we washed it down with homemade lemonade. I found the perfect mixture (for me anyway - not too sweet and just enough tart), so here's my recipe:

Amazing Lemonade

Juice from 8 lemons and 2 limes (should come to 2 cups of juice)
1 3/4 cups sugar
Enough water to make 1 gallon
1 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves, lightly crushed

Pour the juice in a pitcher with the sugar and some of the water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour into your gallon container of choice, throw in the mint leaves and add the rest of the water. Chill and drink. YUMMY!