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Monday, October 31, 2011
the skinny on the pumpkin bread
Ok people. Here it is. I make the best pumpkin bread ever...and I have vowed to never give away my recipe except to people with the same last name as me. But after much pressure the time has come to break my silence. I realize that no big baking company is knocking down my door to buy my recipe from me, so its time to share it with the world. Its perfect for the holiday season and to share with others.
Pumpkin bread
3 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
(3/4 cup choppes walnuts optional. I don't use the nuts)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two loaf pans. Or 1 bundt pan. Mix oil and sugar with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add water and blend. Make a well in your dry ingredients and add wet ingredients in 3 batches. Fill pans and bake for an hour or until done when tested with a toothpick. For the bundt pan add another 10-15 minutes onto the cooking time.
I hope you all try this recipe and let me know how you like it!
Off for now!
Pumpkin bread
3 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
(3/4 cup choppes walnuts optional. I don't use the nuts)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease two loaf pans. Or 1 bundt pan. Mix oil and sugar with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add water and blend. Make a well in your dry ingredients and add wet ingredients in 3 batches. Fill pans and bake for an hour or until done when tested with a toothpick. For the bundt pan add another 10-15 minutes onto the cooking time.
I hope you all try this recipe and let me know how you like it!
Off for now!
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Sunday, October 16, 2011
the cranberry blog
Originally this was going to be a "tip of the moment" blog. But I simply can't write 2 little sentences about this little fruit. Just the color alone is as much a part of autumn as the orange. When you see the leaves change then you know its the perfect time for cranberries. I usually try to stay out of anything political..or controversial in this blog but I feel I need to say this. Feel free to take it for what its worth.
I refuse to buy ocean spray cranberries. The only cranberries I buy are the fresh ones straight from the cranberry bogs that they sell at the farmers market. I am a firm believer that no matter how small the action is, it has a ripple effect into the universe. OceanSpray has put a monopoly on the cranberry industry that has made it so hard for small town cranberry farmers to make a living. This is why I will only buy the fresh cranberries from the farmers market. Ok..so now that we've gotten that out of the way. I digress ;/
I was inspired by the november issue of vegetarian times to blog about cranberries. I saw a beautiful looking recipe for a cranberry bar. The top was a smooth velvety looking cranberry custard sitting on top of a bed of graham crackers. When the recipe said it resembled the texture of a Key lime pie. I was super convinced..and eventually I will deviate from the original recipe and turn this into a pie. I know what your thinking. A key lime pie that's not lime..but cranberries! I was always grossed out by cranberries when I was a kid but my taste buds have changed a bit. I'm beginning to appreciate a lot of new flavors. I'm excited to try this out. It had condensed milk in it, what could be bad about this lol.
So here is the original recipe
Cranberry bars
Filling
1lb fresh or frozen cranberries
7oz fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks
Crust
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup graham flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Bring cranberries and 1/2 cup water to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min or until berries have burst. Cool and blend until smooth. Strain mixture thru a sieve so its really smooth. Should make about 1 cup puree.
Tranfer puree to a bowl and whisk in condensed milk, lemon and egg yolks.
To make crust
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Whisk together flours,sugar and salt. Stir in butter and vanilla. Press into bottom of your pan and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce temp to 300 and pour filling into hot crust. Bake 23 to 28 minutes or until custard is set. Cool and then chill until firm. Use foil to lift bars out of pan. Cut into 25 bars.
I hope your inspired just as I was!
Off for now bees and bears!
:)
I refuse to buy ocean spray cranberries. The only cranberries I buy are the fresh ones straight from the cranberry bogs that they sell at the farmers market. I am a firm believer that no matter how small the action is, it has a ripple effect into the universe. OceanSpray has put a monopoly on the cranberry industry that has made it so hard for small town cranberry farmers to make a living. This is why I will only buy the fresh cranberries from the farmers market. Ok..so now that we've gotten that out of the way. I digress ;/
I was inspired by the november issue of vegetarian times to blog about cranberries. I saw a beautiful looking recipe for a cranberry bar. The top was a smooth velvety looking cranberry custard sitting on top of a bed of graham crackers. When the recipe said it resembled the texture of a Key lime pie. I was super convinced..and eventually I will deviate from the original recipe and turn this into a pie. I know what your thinking. A key lime pie that's not lime..but cranberries! I was always grossed out by cranberries when I was a kid but my taste buds have changed a bit. I'm beginning to appreciate a lot of new flavors. I'm excited to try this out. It had condensed milk in it, what could be bad about this lol.
So here is the original recipe
Cranberry bars
Filling
1lb fresh or frozen cranberries
7oz fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 egg yolks
Crust
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup graham flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Bring cranberries and 1/2 cup water to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for 10 min or until berries have burst. Cool and blend until smooth. Strain mixture thru a sieve so its really smooth. Should make about 1 cup puree.
Tranfer puree to a bowl and whisk in condensed milk, lemon and egg yolks.
To make crust
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Whisk together flours,sugar and salt. Stir in butter and vanilla. Press into bottom of your pan and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce temp to 300 and pour filling into hot crust. Bake 23 to 28 minutes or until custard is set. Cool and then chill until firm. Use foil to lift bars out of pan. Cut into 25 bars.
I hope your inspired just as I was!
Off for now bees and bears!
:)
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Thursday, October 6, 2011
If pumpkin pie and french toast had a baby :)
So here's the sitcheee-a-tion, we had a free lunch at work and rather than order from the healthy salad place they ordered italian. Everything was covered in sauce. Don't get me wrong I love sauce. But sauce and trying to stay on my points doesn't mesh too well. So I tried to do the best I could. A little salmon..some salad..string beans and carrots. Some stuffed shrooms. Then I see the bad of bread that noone touched. The perfect opportunity. To snatch it for a bread pudding. Only its fall..so I decided to use pumpkin in it and make it a pumpkin bread pudding. This is not your typical mushy diner bread pudding. This is the evil love child of french toast and pumpkin pie. Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone, I had to make a homemade caramel sauce to drizzle on top. And yes its CARAMEL. Not carmel dammit.
If you have a dinner to go to at a friends house bring this. I gaurantee there won't be any leftovers.
Pumpkin bread pudding
16 ounces crusty bread. Cubed.
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla
In a bowl combine eggs,milk,cream,sugar,vanilla and pumpkin. Make sure its well mixed. I suggest a hand mixer.
Put your bread cubes in a buttered aluminum baking pan or casserole dish. Pour the wet ingredients over the bread cubes and let it soak in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until all the liquid is absorbed
Preheat your oven to 350 and bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.
Easy caramel sauce
1 cup of water
1 1/2cups of sugar
1teaspoon pure vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs butter
1/8 tsp salt
Combine the water and sugar over low heat until melted. Raise the heat and watch the sugar/water very carefully. When it turns a light caramel brown about 8minutes (this happens fast. Caramel left unattended will burn very quickly) slowly pour in your cream. The mixture will bubble furiously. Add vanilla butter and salt and cook another minute untils smooth and thick. Remove from heat. Will keep good in the fridge for....
Who am I kidding. It doesn't last long enough so I'm not really sure. They say it will last for a few weeks.
I hope you're inspired and try this recipe
Off for now !
If you have a dinner to go to at a friends house bring this. I gaurantee there won't be any leftovers.
Pumpkin bread pudding
16 ounces crusty bread. Cubed.
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla
In a bowl combine eggs,milk,cream,sugar,vanilla and pumpkin. Make sure its well mixed. I suggest a hand mixer.
Put your bread cubes in a buttered aluminum baking pan or casserole dish. Pour the wet ingredients over the bread cubes and let it soak in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until all the liquid is absorbed
Preheat your oven to 350 and bake for 45-50 minutes or until set.
Easy caramel sauce
1 cup of water
1 1/2cups of sugar
1teaspoon pure vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs butter
1/8 tsp salt
Combine the water and sugar over low heat until melted. Raise the heat and watch the sugar/water very carefully. When it turns a light caramel brown about 8minutes (this happens fast. Caramel left unattended will burn very quickly) slowly pour in your cream. The mixture will bubble furiously. Add vanilla butter and salt and cook another minute untils smooth and thick. Remove from heat. Will keep good in the fridge for....
Who am I kidding. It doesn't last long enough so I'm not really sure. They say it will last for a few weeks.
I hope you're inspired and try this recipe
Off for now !
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Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Hey bees and bears,
I was feeling so crappy yesterday. I needed some comfort food. I don't know how the subject of polenta came up but it did. I decided instead of rice I would make polenta as a side dish. I used to make that all the tine for me and micheal. I really like it because it tastes good when you first make it, and you can turn it into some crispy goodness the next day. So here is my recipe. You can increase the salt after its done if you like your polenta a little saltier.
Creamy polenta
6 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups polenta (medium or course grind is fine)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tbs of butter
2 tbsp cream cheese or parmesn cheese
Bring your water and salt to a rolling boil. When the water is boiling slowly stream in your polenta while whisking continuously. In order to prevent the polenta from sticking the the bottom of the pot you will have to whick continuously for 20-30 minutes. The polenta is done when it is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot. When you see it starting to get thick add a tbs of butter and 2 tbs of cream cheese. I know what your thinking, sounds odd to put cream cheese in polenta but trust me it makes it nice and creamy.
I like my with extra salt and pepper.
Ok...time to talk leftovers. I always make a big batch. I take the polenta and pour it in a loaf pan and refridgerate it. The next day its really firm. I cut it into slices 1/4 inch thick. I give them a quick spray of fat free cooking spray and a sprink or either panko bread crumbs or seasoned ones and then fry them in a hot pan until crispy on both sides. They taste good like that but if you want to really bring it over the edge you can melt mozzerella over it and serve with marinara. Uch..super yummy! I forgot to take pictures of the polenta before I ate it. When I make more I promise to post the pictures so stay tuned.
I hope you're inspired to try something different that your usual side dish. Off for now my lovelies!
I was feeling so crappy yesterday. I needed some comfort food. I don't know how the subject of polenta came up but it did. I decided instead of rice I would make polenta as a side dish. I used to make that all the tine for me and micheal. I really like it because it tastes good when you first make it, and you can turn it into some crispy goodness the next day. So here is my recipe. You can increase the salt after its done if you like your polenta a little saltier.
Creamy polenta
6 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups polenta (medium or course grind is fine)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tbs of butter
2 tbsp cream cheese or parmesn cheese
Bring your water and salt to a rolling boil. When the water is boiling slowly stream in your polenta while whisking continuously. In order to prevent the polenta from sticking the the bottom of the pot you will have to whick continuously for 20-30 minutes. The polenta is done when it is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot. When you see it starting to get thick add a tbs of butter and 2 tbs of cream cheese. I know what your thinking, sounds odd to put cream cheese in polenta but trust me it makes it nice and creamy.
I like my with extra salt and pepper.
Ok...time to talk leftovers. I always make a big batch. I take the polenta and pour it in a loaf pan and refridgerate it. The next day its really firm. I cut it into slices 1/4 inch thick. I give them a quick spray of fat free cooking spray and a sprink or either panko bread crumbs or seasoned ones and then fry them in a hot pan until crispy on both sides. They taste good like that but if you want to really bring it over the edge you can melt mozzerella over it and serve with marinara. Uch..super yummy! I forgot to take pictures of the polenta before I ate it. When I make more I promise to post the pictures so stay tuned.
I hope you're inspired to try something different that your usual side dish. Off for now my lovelies!
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Sunday, October 2, 2011
tip of the moment- #2
When substituting canned chick peas for fresh ones in any recipe don't forget that your chickpeas have an outer skin on then that needs to be removed. You can do this simply by pinching each pea in between your fingers gently :)
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soups on!
Hey boys and girls,
I had a very long long week. From preparing side dishes for the holiday and preparing my food for the week..I'm pooped. What's getting me through to the next blog is the holiday season. I can't wait to see if there will be any pumpkins around. One of my favorite things to make is pumpkin pie. I do frown upon using the canned pumpkin for pies when you can just take a little time to roast your own in the oven. It is so worth the little extra effort to have a fresh pumpkin pie. Not too mention I love to make roasted pumpkin seeds after I carve my scary halloween pumkin. I love all things pumpkin. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin soup. It would be a bummer if there were no sugar pumpkins because of hurricane irene.
If you cant find pumpkin you can absolutely substitute it with butternut squash. I'm actually doing this blog for my friend Mayra. We were in the car on the way to wo-hop and pumpkins came up. She said she needed a recipe for pumpkin soup. So here it is.
Pumpkin soup
1 pumpkin peeled and seeded(save seeds for later)
2tbs whole coriander seeds
1tsp ground cinnamon
2dried red chilies
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Fresh sage leaves (optional)
1 onion diced
1carrot cut into small chuncks
1 piece of celery cut into chunks
1.5 liters of veggie stock
Sour cream or creme fresh
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roast your pumpkin in your oven until tender. In a seperate pan on the stove heat 2 tbs of olive oil and sautee your onions until translucent with your celery and carrots.
Add your stock with the roasted pumpkin to the pan. And bring to a boil. After it boils for ten minutes puree it in a blender in batches and be careful not to burn yourself.
I'm a big beleiver in low and slow. If your not in a hurry for soup, you can also transfer everything to your slowcooker and set it to low for a few hours. I make all my soups this way. Low and slow and then puree. I like to make a big batch of soup and freeze half for a rainy day.
When you're ready to serve you can fry your fresh sage leaves until crispy and then sprinkle then on top of your soup with a spoonful of sour cream or creme fresh.
This soup is super figure friendly and very high in vitamin A. So I hope you're inspired and give it a try.
Off for now bees and bears!
I had a very long long week. From preparing side dishes for the holiday and preparing my food for the week..I'm pooped. What's getting me through to the next blog is the holiday season. I can't wait to see if there will be any pumpkins around. One of my favorite things to make is pumpkin pie. I do frown upon using the canned pumpkin for pies when you can just take a little time to roast your own in the oven. It is so worth the little extra effort to have a fresh pumpkin pie. Not too mention I love to make roasted pumpkin seeds after I carve my scary halloween pumkin. I love all things pumpkin. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin soup. It would be a bummer if there were no sugar pumpkins because of hurricane irene.
If you cant find pumpkin you can absolutely substitute it with butternut squash. I'm actually doing this blog for my friend Mayra. We were in the car on the way to wo-hop and pumpkins came up. She said she needed a recipe for pumpkin soup. So here it is.
Pumpkin soup
1 pumpkin peeled and seeded(save seeds for later)
2tbs whole coriander seeds
1tsp ground cinnamon
2dried red chilies
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Fresh sage leaves (optional)
1 onion diced
1carrot cut into small chuncks
1 piece of celery cut into chunks
1.5 liters of veggie stock
Sour cream or creme fresh
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roast your pumpkin in your oven until tender. In a seperate pan on the stove heat 2 tbs of olive oil and sautee your onions until translucent with your celery and carrots.
Add your stock with the roasted pumpkin to the pan. And bring to a boil. After it boils for ten minutes puree it in a blender in batches and be careful not to burn yourself.
I'm a big beleiver in low and slow. If your not in a hurry for soup, you can also transfer everything to your slowcooker and set it to low for a few hours. I make all my soups this way. Low and slow and then puree. I like to make a big batch of soup and freeze half for a rainy day.
When you're ready to serve you can fry your fresh sage leaves until crispy and then sprinkle then on top of your soup with a spoonful of sour cream or creme fresh.
This soup is super figure friendly and very high in vitamin A. So I hope you're inspired and give it a try.
Off for now bees and bears!
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Saturday, October 1, 2011
tip of the moment*
New feature from time to time will be the "tip of the moment".
Do not forget about the inside of your celery. I know a lot of people throw this away thinking its inedible. Do not do this. When making soups that call for the holy trinity (carrots, onion, and celery) use th curly inside leaves of the celery. The best celery flavor lives inside these pretty leaves.
Stay tuned for more tips throughout the day!
Xoxo
Do not forget about the inside of your celery. I know a lot of people throw this away thinking its inedible. Do not do this. When making soups that call for the holy trinity (carrots, onion, and celery) use th curly inside leaves of the celery. The best celery flavor lives inside these pretty leaves.
Stay tuned for more tips throughout the day!
Xoxo
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