Cupid's Arrows

Recipe Trial.

I am all about the homemade Valentine. I think Valentine's day is beautiful in it's most simplistic form. I don't think it should be about another chance to spend a fortune on a gift. I think it should be about saying I love you, or I care or you are my friend in a simple heartfelt way. 

I want nothing more than to spend Valentine's evening at home with my hubby serving up our annual seafood pasta dinner. This year we are having lobster puttanesca. My kids will get shrimp and spaghetti. 


Fortunately my youngest daughter still loves to do all of her valentines for school homemade. She is a girl after my own heart. This year we stole this idea from Family Fun and made these cupid hearts for her classmates.


Simple, Easy and fun to do together. 


Just use a wooden skewer to drill holes in candy juju hearts. For the end of the arrow I used a knife to cut a bigger V into the heart. We stuck a stick pretzel between the two ends and voila. 

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins & Nutella Smore Cookies -- Weekend Treats

Weekends are a cooking conundrum. We are busy or we are resting and yet, we are hungry. I don't want to cook or spend too much time in the kitchen and yet I want to treat my family to some good eats. I especially feel this way on Suday.  So here are two of our easy favorites. Chocolate Raspberry Muffins and Nutella Smore Cookies. They are so simple that they are more like tips than recipes. But they are fast - chocolate and everybody loves them.

If you are frequent reader of my blog you already understand my love affair with the Jiffy Mix. So many uses in such a convenient inexpensive box. The Chocolate Muffin Mix is my new favorite and this is why. I tried this recipe off the back of the box and two days later I made it again for Sunday breakfast. You can certainly make these muffins with from scratch chocolate muffins. Just add the chocolate chips and raspberry jam according to the directions.

Rasberry and chocolate is one of those love food matches made in heaven.

1 Pkg of Jiffy chocolate muffin mix (or your homemade chocolate muffins)
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 Cup milk
1/2 Cup Chocolate chips
1/3 C chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 Cup raspberry jam. ( I used my canned raspberry preserves)

Makes about 6 muffins if using one box of Jiffy.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine mix, egg, milk, and oil. fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tin. Place one tsp of raspberry jam in the center and top with nuts (optional)
Bake 13-15 minutes.

So heavenly warm.

Nutella Smore Cookie Sandwiches.

This is a ridiculously easy idea made from a need to provide a Sunday dessert and a need to not bake anymore that day. And of course a need for a little Nutella therapy.

I use these wafers I found in the Spanish section of the grocery store, called Marias. They are 50 cents a package and taste a lot like a grown up animal cracker. They are the perfect base for these cookies.

The Smores

Nutella
Maria cookies or a hard cookie wafer.
marshmallow creme

Smear Nutella on one cookie and marshmallow creme on another cooke and smash together.

Now frankly I would totally stick with just the Nutella. I am a Nutella purist and I am not a huge fan of marshmallow creme. But oh my family loves these because they are a fan of both.

Pomegranate Slushie

A couple weeks ago I recieved my first free sample packet. I was so excited because I seriously intended to buy something similar and experiment with pomegranates and pomegranate juice. So, when POM Wonderful sent me a gleaming jewel colored package of pomegranate juices I was ecstatic. I have had so many plans for these little beauties. But a busy life has taken me hostage and baking and experimenting in the kitchen has taken a back burner in my life. However, I still have some fun ideas for this tasty and extremely healthy juice.

Did you know POM Wonderful 100 percent juice actually has more antioxidants than Acai berries or blueberries? I actually enjoy drinking it straight from its curvy little bottle but I must explore the possibilities. Here is one simple way to bring a little tropical to your winter.

My daughter had her tonsils out this week (busy life remember). So I decided to whip up a slushie for her sore throat that included the healthy healing benefits of pomegranate.

I added mango to this slushie. I liked the flavor twist but my children said they would have preferred a non mango version. So obviously the mango is optional.

SLUSHIE

1/2 to 3/4 cup of 100 percent pomegranate juice (depending on your desired consistency)

3 TB sugar

1/2 mango cut up (optional)

2 Cups crushed ice.

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until frothy and uniform consistency. Start with 1/2 cup juice and add more as desired.

Apple Peanut Butter Chip bars

Apples are consuming my mornings right now. Some sweet lady gave me boxes of free apples and I have been busy making apple chips and pies from the tart little McIntoshes. I also really love homemade applesauce but I like to use a sweeter apple for applesauce and so I have been busy baking and slicing. Oh how I love my peeler/slicer/corer. How would I survive through hundreds of apples without such a tool.

I actually like to make all my fruit pies during the late summer and fall and then freeze them for convenient use the rest of the year. But this morning I needed to take a break from pie baking (OK I still made one pie) and so I made my annual batch of these cake like bars that are so delicious when warm. They fill the senses with a taste of fall spices, warm apple and melt in your mouth peanut butter. They make a sweet but generally healthy after school snack or lunch box stuffer.

Recipe: I adapted this recipe from an apple bar recipe found at allrecipes.com

1/2 Cup melted butter

1/2 Cup fructose (or use 1 cup sugar)

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Cup whole grain pastry flour (or 1 Cup all-purpose flour)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 dash nutmeg

1 Cup peeled apples, finely diced

1/4 Cup finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour an 8x8 pan. In a large bowl cream melted butter, sugar and egg. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda. cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Stir in apples and peanut butter chips. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Herbed Quick Pickles

I am addicted. Is it bad to be addicted to pickles? I am so in love with these quick sage and rosemary pickles. They are the perfect low fat snack. I got the recipe from Herb Companion magazine and because I did not change a single thing I am going to give you the recipe link. ROSEMARY AND SAGE QUICK PICKLES.

I love this recipe for immediate pickle joy with a hint of onion and herbs because it is immediate and refillable. I just keep refilling the jar with more cucumber slices from my garden. Kept in the refrigerator they make a cold refreshing afternoon snack or salad ingredient. If you are wondering what to do with all those cucumbers and herbs in your garden, give this recipe a try.

Baking Bananas -- Banana Raspberry Bread and Whole Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Part of the reason I bought so many bananas is because I love banana breads for breakfast. And I am going to freeze whatever we don't gobble up this week. And so I began my baking with these two recipes. I also made some banana chips that are going to go into my banana granola this week.

I also tried a new banana bread recipe which was originally Strawberries and Cream Banana bread. I threw in some raspberries and the tart taste blended perfectly with the sweet banana flavor. I was a little distracted by the raspberry seeds but the contrasting flavors made up for the seeds. I love this super moist recipe that uses sour cream to keep the bread from drying out.

I also did my standard banana muffins and threw them in the freezer for breakfast down the road. Everyone has their own banana muffin recipe here is mine: This recipe works just as well for banana bread.

1/2 Cup butter
1/4 Cup sugar and 1/2 Cup Splenda
2 eggs slightly beaten
3 medium mashed bananas
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 ts Baking Soda
1 C. Whole grain pastry flour
1/3 Cup Water
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 Cup chocolate chips (optional)

Melt butter and blend in sugar. Add beaten eggs and mashed bananas, blending until smooth. Combine flour, salt and soda in a separate bowl. Alternate adding whole wheat mixture with hot water. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips.

Bake in a 9x5 loaf pan or 12 muffin tins at 325 degrees.
1 hour 10 minutes for bread
Approx 20 minutes for muffins or until golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Tomorrow I am baking a batch of tropical banana bread and I will try to have that recipe up tomorrow night.

Banana and Cherry Jell-o Pops

There is a story about me and my Jell-o making abilities that goes something like this. When I was a freshman in college I had no cooking skills whatsoever. My roommates like to remind me, as they laugh and writhe in giggling agony, of the day I realized I really didn't know my way around a kitchen. I was making dinner for my boyfriend and Jell-o was on the menu. I looked at my roommates announced I should start the Jell-o and they responded with a perfectly legitimate question. "When is he coming?" My naive response. "In 2 minutes."

Oh I have come such a long way in 17 years. I still don't make Jell-o very often. I think those packets make great flavorings for pies, Like my pineapple lime pie. I do however keep boxes and boxes of jello mix and pudding on hand (OK mostly pudding). So, in honor of so many things: my roommates, my vastly improved cooking skills, banana week and summer, I give you the recipe for my own invention, Cherry Banana Pops.

Recipe

1 box (4 oz) of sugar free cherry gelatin (or other delicious flavor)

3 bananas

1 tsp lemon juice

1 8 oz tub of light whipping cream (or make your own if so inclined)

1 can of Apple Cherry juice concentrate (feel free to use any flavor your heart desires)

1 Cup boiling water

1 Cup cold water

Ice cubes

Place cherry gelatin in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and stir 2 minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to 1 cup cold water to make 2 cups cold water. Add to gelatin and stir until ice cubes are completely dissolved. Pour evenly into 16 plastic cups or popsicle mold. (I used huge wide cups and the popsicles were a little too big. 5 oz cups would have been much better.) Add about 1/4 cup to each cup and freeze for 1 hour.

Slice 3 bananas and add bananas and lemon juice to whip cream. Spoon mixture onto frozen gelatin in cups. Stick plastic spoons or popsicle sticks into center of each cup and freeze for another hour. Top off with juice and freeze for an additional 4 hours or overnight.

To remove pops from cups, place bottom of cups under warm running water and press firmly on bottom of cup.

Pumpkin Muffins

Some would say that Nestle knows its chocolate chips and I would say they know their pumpkin. Once again they have me hooked with one of their pumpkin recipes. This time it is pumpkin muffins. Their recipe was for mini muffins and because I was absent a mini muffin tin I just amped it up to regular muffins. The best part of these breakfast delights: they are low cal. Nestle claims that 3 mini muffins equals 100 calories. Therefore I am using my mad math skills to claim that 1 muffin measures out at approximately 100 calories.
Unfortunately, I loved them so much I ate three big ones by noon. Oops. My kids loved them too and all I could think while they gobbled away was "hee hee vegetables for breakfast." In a family where everyone wishes cereal morning could be every morning it was great to find a delicious healthy diversion.
I altered this version very slightly by omitting the granola topping(gasp I was out of granola) and adding a few slivered almonds for the topping instead.
1 Cup Whole wheat flour or Whole grain pastry flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or 3/4 cinnamon, 1/4 nutmeg and dash of allspice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Cup light packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup oil
1 - 15 oz can pumpkin
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 Cup sliced almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line or grease muffin tin. Combine flour, spice, baking soda and baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat sugar and oil in medium bowl until blended. Add pumpkin and eggs and beat well. Graduall sitr in flour mixture. Spoon batter into 12 muffin tins 2/3 full. Sprinkle with almonds and Bake for 15 to minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and cool completely on wire racks.

Homemade Graham Crackers/Cookies

And the winner is . . .
I did not get my snack post done on Monday because I have been trying out graham cracker recipes. I really want to figure out how to make my own graham crackers. I tried two recipes and I have one still to try. Here is the verdict. Recipe #1 was the winner with the kids, although it didn't really have that real graham taste it had a similar texture and the cracker/cookies were good enough that they disappeared in one day. They did, however, think they worked good as peanut butter smore crackers. My only issue with these easy to make crackers: The recipe only makes about a dozen crackers. I will definitely double next time. The second recipe I tried was not as big of a hit and it made a ton of crackers. Fortunately, chocolate fixes everything. It's going to be smore week here as we go through the 3 dozen crackers I have left over from the unfavored recipe #2.

I do think that if I invested in some actual graham flour the first recipe would gain that graham taste. I also want to try the recipe from 101cookbooks.com. It is a little more complicated but I will probably give it a try. You can find that recipe here.

Graham Cracker recipe adapted from Practical Preparedness by Tina Monson
1 C whole wheat flour
1/3 C plus 1 T sugar
1/3 C butter
2 T Milk
1/2 C oat flour (see oat flour note below)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 T honey

1. Mix flours, sugar, and soda.
2. Heat butter and honey and stir until melted.
3. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Let chill for 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Press dough out onto ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and roll until 1/4 inch thick. The plastic wrap will keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
5. Trim edges and cut dough into 10 to 12 uniform rectangles.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.
6. Prick crackers with fork as they come out of the oven and let cool completely.

Oat Flour Note
Oat flour can be pricey in the store. But you can make your own in about 30 seconds. Use a blender or food processor to grind regular oats into a fine flour like consistency.

Tip. For a healthy smore snack make a sandwich with peanut butter and dark chocolate.

Monday Snack - Crockpot Applesauce

Last night I pulled out some homemade applesauce from the freezer. One bite and I remembered why I am never going back to the store bought stuff again. Applesauce is so easy to make and if you just happen to catch a killer deal on apples it is a great snack to stock up on. I freeze my applesauce but it can also be canned if you have a pressure canner. The trick to a good applesauce is of course the apple. Get the right apple and you don't even have to add sugar. I like gala, jonathons, or McIntosh for my applesauce. I just suggest an apple with sweetness and tartness. You can also combine varieties. I like to pair up a combo of Jonathons and McIntosh when it is apple season and I am buying apples by the box.

Here is my easy, and I mean so simple it is ridiculous, recipe.

8 apples, peeled cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 C water
1 tsp lemon juice (just to keep it from browning up too much)
Optional ingredients:
1/4 to 1/2 Cup sugar. (I tried my applesauce with sugar and it was way too sweet for me but experiment with your own favorite version)
Cinnamon to taste (I like a good cinnamon applesauce now and then.)

*Add chopped apples, water and lemon juice to crockpot (and sugar if you are using).
*Cook on high for 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours until apples are tender and easily mashed.
*Stir in cinnamon during the last 15 minutes if using.
*Mash with a potato masher.
This makes about 8 servings. I freeze in freezer containers with 1/2 inch headspace.
Tip: My son loves his applesauce slightly frozen for a healthy sweet snack.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa with food storage whip cream.

I love hot chocolate and nothing attacks the munchies or the down in the dumps moments for me like a good mug of melty hot cocoa. So, I know that my food storage needs chocolate. I seriously suggest stocking your pantry with unsweetened cocoa. In an effort to be good to myself(I need to steer clear of too much sugar) I modified this hot cocoa recipe to be sugar-free. Feel free to sugar up your own stash of hot cocoa. I just really don't enjoy the sugar-free options at the store. I loved this recipe so much I am already on my second cup today. I thought this batch would last me awhile. Silly me. I also tried to make the whip cream from nonfat instant dry milk. Not really loving it so much. I have heard, however, that the Morning Moos brand of instant dry milk makes a better whipped cream. I promise to experiment with this and get back to you.

Recipe
I halved this recipe, except for the vanilla. I really like vanilla.
1 Tb plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 Cups sugar or Splenda
1 Tb salt
2 1/2 C powdered nondairy creamer (I used the sugar free) This is located on the same aisle as the hot chocolate or coffee.
1 3/4 C Cocoa powder
5 Cups Instant dry milk

In a large bowl, mix vanilla into sugar with a wire wisk, until fluffy and nearly dry consistency. Blend in one at a time, salt, creamer and cocoa, stirring thoroughly after each addition. Add dry milk. You can add 5 cups of mini marshmallows here. (I didn't have them)
Store in an airtight container for up to six months (Like it is going to be around for that long)
Makes 13 Cups or 39 servings.
To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 C mix with 1 C hot water

Monday Snack -- Easy Soft Pretzels

In Pennsylvania, a warm soft pretzel is considered little piece of heaven. They serve them up with mustard or cheese dip and there is a pretzel stand everywhere. I always thought these pretzels would be tough to make. Well today, far away from the pretzel haven of PA the kids and I rolled out 24 of these soft chewy treats in my kitchen. They had fun designing all kinds of fun pretzel shapes. It was an enjoyable afternoon in the kitchen and a tasty snack time. They were surprisingly easy and quick to make. In the past I have made pretzels with the boiling/baking method. This recipe requires no baking and a very short rise time. You can buy these in a pack of four or six in the freezer section (and I promise they are not as good) for around $3, you can buy one at the pretzel stand for around $2 or you can whip up several days of these favorites for a significant financial savings.

The Recipe:
1 1/2 C Water
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 C oil
4 - 4 1/2 C flour (I used all purpose, but it could work with whole wheat also)
1 egg white
1 T water
sea salt or other coarse salt

Pour warm water into bowl and sprinkle in yeast. Stir until dissolved.
Add sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Gradually add remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Knead dough for 10 minutes (I used my Bosch mixer on low) until smooth and elastic. Cover bowl and let set 30 minutes (I actually only let mine sit for 10 minutes on accident and the pretzels turned out fine).

Divide dough into 24 pieces;cover and let rest 5 minutes.
Roll each into a uniform 18" rope. Shape into a pretzel by making a circle, overlapping the two ends and twisting one time. Press ends onto bottom of circle.


Place on greased baking sheet. Beat egg whites and water and brush on tops of pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

The Granola Experiment -- Banana Tropical Granola

No two pantries are alike. And my pantry is an ever changing place, which is why I have decided to conduct the granola experiment. I love granola. However, I do not love how much a small amount of granola costs at the grocery store. I also love all different flavors of granola. And so I am venturing on an experiment this month to try and concoct my own granola repertoire with what is available each week in my pantry. Of course you can join me in this venture. Just mix and match the nuts or fruits with what you have available. It is amazing the goodies you can find in your pantry just waiting to team up with some good old fashioned oatmeal. I would love to find a recipe that closely resembles those granola balls by Quaker Oats that come in those sparsely packed snack packs. So, if you have such a yummy delight send it this way. Here is my first granola creation and I have to say it is quite addicting. Even my picky son who doesn't like hot oatmeal cereal is loving this stuff.

Banana Granola
4 Cups of old fashioned oats (no instant or quick)
1/4 C shredded coconut (this is all I had)
3/4 C coconut milk powder (I bought mine in bulk because it is a really versatile little flavoring)
1/4 C milled flax seed
3/4 C pinenuts
1/4 C chopped hazlenuts
1/2 C crushed frosted shredded wheat cereal (You know the leftovers on the bottom of the cereal bag)
1/4 tsp salt
10 Tb butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free syrup and I think it tastes just as great)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup coarsely chopped banana chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine first 7 ingredients. Melt butter in the microwave or over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients (except bananas). Pour over dry ingredients. Cook for 30 minutes on greased baking pans. Do not overcook! Cool and add bananas
Now I reserved two cups of this granola without bananas because I wanted to mimic my son's favorite cold cereal, Honey Nut Bunches of Oats, which is a little pricey when it is not on sale. The result got a thumbs up.

Add two cups of granola to 3 cups of corn flakes and drizzle with two teaspoons of honey. Toss gently. Mmm mmm, my boy gobbles it up.

Next week: Cinnamon Raisin Granola

Monday Snacks -- Chocolate Biscotti

In an effort to curb my spending spree on snacks for my kids each grocery shopping trip, I pledged to make snacks for my kids from the pantry shelves. Each monday I will make a snack for the week and so Monday's posts will typically be a snack or treat that is cost efficient and of course yummy. I mean you can't always fool those little voracious after school appetites.

3 REASONS I LOVE BISCOTTI
It requires very small ingredient portions
It is so tasty and comes in lots of flavors
My kids love it!
I recently rediscovered the large quantity of cocoa powder at the back of my pantry. I had bought it, let's just say a really long time ago, because I thought it would make a great addition to my food storage. I mean who can really go very long without some chocolate? Yesterday, I used it for the very first time. I love biscotti. It is not exactly the most enjoyable thing to make due to its tendency to be really really sticky. But let's face it biscotti is really expensive at the store and yet so cheap to make at home. Here is my recipe for the chocolate version.

3 TB softened butter
2/3 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup Splenda) we have sugar issues in our home.
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup nuts chopped (use what you have) I used pinenuts because I have a huge Costco bag in my refrigerator.

In a small mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat into butter mixture and then stir in raisins and nuts.
Dough will be sticky. I really suggest adding an extra Tsp or two of flour at this point.
Divide dough in half and place on a baking sheet, coated with nonstick cooking spray. With lightly floured hands shape each portion into a 12-inch long by 1 1/4-inch thick and 4-in wide rectangle.
Cook at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until set and small cracks form on surface. Carefully remove to wire racks and cool for five minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board; cut with a serrated knife into 3/4 inch slices. Place cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 5 minutes on each side. Remove to wire wracks to cool.

Drizzle with some melted almond bark or this frosting recipe.
2/3 cup sugar
4 to 5 teaspoons fat-free milk
1-2 tsp vanilla extract.
Combine sugar, vanilla and enough milk to acheive a drizzling consistency.

What is the pink milk?
Here is another little secret that I learned from my Mother-in-law that I amped up a little bit. Reconstitute a quart of that powdered milk. Chill and add it at 1/4 or 1/2 ratios to the good milk in your refrigerator. I add a little sugar-free raspberry syrup to make it even more disguised and drinkable. I buy my syrup in the coffee section of the grocery store.
Dunk your biscotti and know that you just brought a little Italian out of your food storage.

I would love to see your cocoa powder ideas or recipes.