black bean burgers

vegetarian low-fat burgers from recipezaar- super scrumptious! I substituted Adobo for onion powder and celery salt for seasoning salt and it was fabulous, so feel free to add your own spices! I also used spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour- I used one TB though will probably up it to the 2 or 3 next time. I cooked them for about 3-5 minutes per side on medium-medium high heat in my cast iron skillet.

MAKES 3 burgers {or 6 smaller ones}

Ingredients
1 1/2-2 tablespoons pureed onions (I prefer green onions)
1 cup black beans, well drained
1-3 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 slice whole wheat bread, very well crumbled
1-1 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
salt and pepper
oil (for frying)
* can substitute seasoning and bread with pre-made seasoned bread crumbs

Directions
1) In a large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth (or puree with the onions).
2) Add onions and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, adding the flour a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is at your desired consistency.
3) Form bean mixture into flat patties and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm.

Irish Soda Bread

My tried and true recipe, passed down from my mom! I actually substitute half gluten-free flour and half spelt flour. Also, I cook my loaf on a pizza stone instead of a baking dish.

Ingredients:
4 c. flour
3 TB sugar
1 TB double acting baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
6 TB butter
1 1/2 c. dark raisins
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 2 quart round baking dish. Mix the first 5 dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Stir in raisins. Beat eggs slightly in a separate bowl. AFter reserving 1 TB of egg, stir in buttermilk. Pour egg mixture into the dry mix. On a well-floured surface, kneed the dough 10 times- do not over-kneed. Shape dough into ball and place in baking dish. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Brush loaf with egg reserve and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Momma's Veggie Soup

So this recipe is from my mother-in-law and is a huge hit anytime it's served! You could easily leave out the blending and just chop the veggies, whichever you prefer! I added a dash of salt and Italian blend spices, in addition to a can of black beans.

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1 can diced tomatoes

1 onion

2 celery stalks

3-4 potatoes

4 c. water

2 bullion cubes

a few TBs olive oil

pepper to taste

-optional-

1 zucchini

1 can beans, drained

noodles

handful of rice

other spices

Directions:

Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Put the other vegetables through the blender. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil in a large soup pan for a few minutes, then add the water and bullion cubes. Bring pot to a boil. Add pepper and any other spices. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add beans, rice, and/or noodles shortly after bringing to a simmer.

Blueberry-Banana Bread

This is from All-Time Favorite Healing Recipes from The Green Pharmacy. My oven is not very reliable {I really need to pick up an oven thermometer} so the bottom of this bread took forever to finish baking- I ended up leaving it in for close to an hour. This is an extremely moist bread, so my bamboo skewer never pulled out clean. If you're like me and tend to leave your pizza stone in the oven at all times, I would recommend removing it in order to give your bread the best chance of cooking thoroughly from all sides. I also made a few modifications to the recipe:

- used 1/4 c. agave syrup instead of brown sugar

- used 3/4 c. frozen blueberries

- used 3/4 c. fresh blueberries

- substituted 1 c. of the flour with spelt flour

- went a little crazy and used 2 TB raw sugar

Time: 50 mins + cooling time

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c. mashed ripe bananas {about 3 bananas}

1/2 c. reduced fat- plain yogurt

1.3 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. regular or light buttermilk

1 lg. egg

2 TB unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 c. frozen wild blueberries

1/2 c. dried wild blueberries

1 TB raw sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg, butter, and lemon zest. Whisk to blend. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until they are just blended. Stir in all of the blueberries. Turn the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Sprinkle on the raw sugar.

3. Bake 40-45 mins, or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack, 5 mins. Removed from pan and cool the loaf completely on the rack. Cut it into 3/4 inch slices and serve.

Shrimp, Mushroom, and Omelette Soup

Makes 6 servings

10-12 dried Shiitake mushrooms (about 1 ounce)

3 eggs

1 T chopped fresh chives or minced green onion tops

2 t vegetable oil

28-30 oz chicken broth

2 T oyster sauce

12 oz medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cups lightly packed fresh spinach leaves, stemmed

1 T lime juice

Red pepper flakes

Cilantro sprigs and lime peel

1. Place mushrooms in small bowl; cover with hot water.  Let stand 30 minutes or until caps are softened.

2. Meanwhile, beat eggs and chives in small bowl with wire whisk until blended.  (I added a few tablespoons of milk and some salt and pepper here).  Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil and swirl to coat surface.  Pour egg mixture into pan.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cover and cook, without stirring, 2 minutes or until set.  Slide spatula under omelette; lift omelette and tilt pan to allow uncooked egg to flow under.  Repeat at several places around omelette.

3.  Slide omelette onto flat plate.  Hold another plate over omelette and turn omelette over.  Slide omelette back into pan to cook other side- about 20 seconds.  Slide back onto plate.  When cool enough to handle, roll up omelette.  Slice into 1/4" wide strips.  

4.  Drain mushrooms; squeeze out excess water.  Remove and discard stems.  Slice caps into thin strips.

5. Combine mushrooms, chicken broth, and oyster sauce in large saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low; cook 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium-high; add shrimp and cook 2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and opaque.  Add omelette strips and spinach.  Remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach wilts slightly.  Stir in lime juice.  Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with red pepper, cilantro, and lime peel.

Pasta Bake Thing Yeah!

So! This is kind of a modification to a DELICIOUS dip recipe I acquired from my friend Mandy... I just decided to make it into more of an entré type thing....

• 2 packages [8 0z. each] cream cheese
• 1 package frozen [or equivalent amount] chopped spinach
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• one onion, chopped
• ~2/3 package of egg noodles
• chicken [optional] (1-2 large breasts)
  
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded [1 cup or so...?]
  

Preheat the oven, to 375[?]. Cook up the chicken however you normally cook chicken... I did it in a pan, seasoned with Garlic and Chili powder. After all is cooked and lovely, cut/tear the chicken up into small pieces.

Cook egg noodles as per package directions, drain, set aside.
Chop Onion. Combine in bowl with spinach and tomatoes.
Cut cream cheese into cubes, microwave slightly if too firm to cut.

Layer ingredients in a 9x13 casserole dish/pan/whatever you have on hand, starting with noodles on the bottom, then spinach/tomato/onion mixture, chicken(optional), cream cheese cubes on top, and sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the top. Bake for about 25-40 minutes, until cheese bubbles up.

VARIATIONS:
The original dip recipe involved Olives and Green Chili Peppers... feel free to add these in as a twist or a kick... [I had bought all the ingredients for the dip, then the Olives and Peppers ended up on a Pizza instead...]

Phyllo Cigars

Makes about 24 phyllo cigars

Lamb Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound ground lamb

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Phyllo Cigars

9 to 11 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to manufacturer’s directions

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

To make the lamb filling:

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add the lamb and cook until browned, about 8 minutes, breaking the meat as it cooks.  Stir in the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until you get an evenly fine texture, being careful not to grind it to a paste.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the phyllo cigars: 

Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface with the long side toward you.  Brush lightly with the melted butter.  Lay another sheet of phyllo on top.  Keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel.  Brush the second layer with butter.  Lay the last sheet of phyllo on top, brush the third layer with butter.  Cut the phyllo in half lengthwise so that you have 2 half-sheets, one above the other.  Cut each half into fourths so you have 8 equal-size wrappers.  With the short side facing you lay 1 scant tablespoon of filling at the bottom of the wrapper.  Roll up the filling in the phyllo dough partway.  Fold in the sides and continue to roll into a cigar shape.  Place, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining filling and sheets of dough.

Brush the cigars with butter and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Other ideas for fillings I saw on another site:

• We used spicy chorizo with flat-leaf parsley, instead of lamb. 
• We also used olive oil between the sheets of phyllo dough, which worked just fine. 
• It's nice to serve a dip with these. You could mix a little oil and herbs with thick yogurt and serve it alongside, or have a jar of fresh salsa open.

Ratatouille

Serves 4 - 6
Total prep and cooking time: about 2 hours

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1" cubes
3 medium zucchini or other summer squash, cut into 1" cubes
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 sweet bell peppers, roughly chopped*
4 - 6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 - 3 large tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped, juices reserved*
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450-degrees Fahrenheit.

Salt the eggplant cubes and set them in a colander to release their liquid for at least 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt and press the cubes against the counter top between two clean kitchen towels to get out as much moisture as possible.

Combine the eggplant with the zucchini and toss with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet (use two sheets if necessary), and roast them in the oven. Roast for a total of 30 - 40 minutes, stirring the cubes every 10 minutes, until the eggplant has completely softened. Remove trays and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of oil in a dutch oven or deep sauce pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and a pinch of salt, and saute until the onion is completely translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and a pinch of salt, and saute until no longer crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the tomatoes with all their juices into the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes have started to break down.

Add the roasted eggplant and zucchini to the pot along with another teaspoon of salt, and simmer until the tomatoes and eggplant have almost completely broken down into a pulpy sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you can serve immediately or allow to simmer until the vegetables have completely broken down.

Remove the pot from heat and stir in the basil. Serve hot or room temperature with a drizzle of good olive oil and an extra sprinkling of fresh basil.

From thekitchn.com

Car Bomb Cupcakes!

Tis the season... well... as far as March goes, St. Patrick's day seems to get some attention, and who can deny some Guiness and Bailey's?



This is a bit of a mashup of a few recipes I've found around with some modifications...
so first off -- the chocolate stout cupcake!
This is a halfsies version of this recipe. My adaptation makes about 2 dozen good sized cupcakes, so unless you are going for feeding a small army, this size seems just right!

Ingredients- Cake

• 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 cups sugar
• 
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs

• 2/3 cups sour cream

Preparation
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake/muffin tin. Butter/grease/PAM these.
Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among cupcake papers. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Take cupcakes out, onto rack and cool completely.

BAILEY'S FROSTING:
[this is from HERE.]

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

In a medium bowl, blend together cream cheese, butter, and Bailey's. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well until it’s all incorporated. Use immediately. The frosting will harden in the fridge, so plan on bring it back to room temperature if you must refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes.



........so this is my first time trying this frosting. Anyone have a variation or other ideas of what might go well on here? I love the flavor of these cupcakes, as they're a more "grown up" flavor, and very rich, yet not over-sugary.

Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Meyer Lemon, Spinach, and Hazelnuts

serves two as a main course

1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest (from about 1/2 lemon)
juice from one Meyer lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of fresh pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 pound spaghetti
5 cups (loosely packed) fresh spinach, washed, spun dry, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

Combine the zest, lemon juice, mascarpone, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Bring a pot of water to boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta until al dente, taking it off the heat about 1 to 2 minutes before you would normally remove it. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Return the pasta to the pot, and set over low heat. Stir in the mascarpone sauce. Add the spinach and toss so that the spinach begins to wilt. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water (more if necessary) to keep the sauce fluid but not too watery. Continue to cook and toss until the spinach is cooked. Add the hazelnuts and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Butternut Squash, Sage, and Parmesan Pasties

Made these last night for dinner... we thought they were pretty tasty.  

Makes 2 large or 4 small pasties

Dough
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
6-8 tablespoons ice water

Filling
8 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes 
1 medium red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper (or black)
1 egg, beaten

To make dough

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or knife, cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time, gently tossing between additions, until the dough just holds together. Shape dough into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Before rolling out the dough, let it soften slightly so that it is malleable but still cold. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out two circles using a plate or bowl as a guide.

To make pasties

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, combine butternut squash, onion, garlic, sage, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts.

Spoon mixture over half of each dough round, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper.

Moisten the edges of the dough with beaten egg. With cool hands, fold the pastry over and crimp the edges. (Use any crimping technique you like, just make sure it is well sealed. For the traditional Cornish method, see this YouTube video.) Cut a small slit in the top of each pasty. Brush all over with beaten egg.

Bake until golden and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel

Adapted from Gourmet, March 2008 via smitten kitchen

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (a 1/4-ounce package)
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115°F)
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I use a bit more)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (I like it coarsely grated for this)

Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Put 1 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl, then make a well in center of flour and add yeast mixture to well. Stir together egg, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt with a fork. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or your fingertips, gradually incorporating flour, until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead, working in additional flour (up to 1/4 cup) as necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

While dough rises, heat remaining 1/3 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté fennel seeds until a shade darker, about 30 seconds. Stir in onions, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover onions directly with a round of parchment paper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

[Do ahead: I made the dough several hours in advance and let it rise in the fridge, and the onions too, which I let sit covered at room temperture until I was ready to assemble and bake the tart.]

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Knead dough gently on a floured surface with floured hands to deflate. Pat out dough on a large heavy baking sheet (preferably blue steel) into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle, turning up or crimping edge, then brush mustard evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Spread onions evenly over mustard, then sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Bake tart until crust is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into 2-inch squares or diamonds and serve warm or at room temperature.

Potato and Kale Puree

• Ingredients:
• 2 lb kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves chopped
• 1 1/2 lb large boiling potatoes
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 
  

• 
  
  Cook kale in a pot of boiling salted water (1 1/2 Tbsp salt for
  4 qt water), uncovered, until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain kale,
  then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. When
  kale is cool, drain but do not squeeze.
• 
  
  
  While kale cooks, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
  Simmer in cream with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a heavy
  medium saucepan, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender,
  15 to 20 minutes.
  
  
• 
  
  Purée potato mixture with kale in 2 batches in a food processor
  until just smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
  Transfer to a 4- to 5-qt heavy saucepan and cook over low heat,
  stirring frequently, until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

*Notes:

- Instead of pureeing the mixture, I stuck it in my Kitchen Aid
mixer, which resulted in a chunkier end product.  

- I added crushed red pepper flakes, seasoning salt, and 2 minced
garlic cloves to the potatoes about halfway through the simmering.

Healthier Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour, (I used 1/2 cup cake flour [white flour sifted 3 times] plus 1/4 cup + 2T wheat flour, sifted together twice)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk, (or 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 T lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hot strong black coffee
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with a circle of wax paper.
2. Whisk flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add hot coffee and beat to blend. (The batter will be quite thin.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan, peel off the wax paper and let cool completely. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar before slicing.

12 servings    Active Time: 25 minutes    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Per serving: 139 calories; 3 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 212 mg sodium; 60 mg potassium.

 

*I averaged mine out at 105 calories a serving, by having it sliced into 16 pieces instead of 12.  

Scones

::Scones::

(Original Recipe, with changes I made in Notes below)

2 cups flour

1 T baking powder

2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

6 T butter

1/2 cup buttermilk

lightly beaten egg

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk.  If you don't have buttermilk, use regular milk.  Mix until dough clings together and is a bit sticky- do not overmix.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and shape into a 6-8 inch round about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Quickly cut into pie wedges or use a large round biscuit cutter to cut circles.  The secret of tender scones is a minimum of handling.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet, being sure the sides of the scones don't touch each other.  Brush with egg for a shiny, beautiful brown scone.  Bake at 435 degrees F for 10-20 minutes, or until light brown.

Notes:

- To make buttermilk, take 1 cup of regular milk and stir in 1 T lemon juice- I use 1% milk

- Dried fruit and nuts can be added to the mixture before adding the buttermilk.  I used toasted hazelnuts and dried cranberries in mine.

- Instead of the white flour, I used 7/8 cup of wheat flour per 1 cup of white flour.  Since wheat flour makes for a denser product, I sifted the flour twice after measuring it out, and I added a bit of baking powder (probably about 1/4-1/3 teaspoon).  I have heard that you can also purchase whole wheat pastry flour, which is lighter as far as density.

- I am still trying to think of a substitute for at least part of the butter, but because it needs to be solid, I haven't thought of something yet.

chocolate-dipped shortbread

These are some shortbreads that I shipped to my hubby overseas {he's deployed with the US Army}... hehe, and I may have eaten a few before they got packaged! To send them, I wrapped each individually in wax paper, then vacuum sealed them all in a gallon-sized bag.

.: Directions :.
Beat 2 sticks butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Whisk 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt, then stir into the butter mixture. Press into a buttered 8-inch square or 9-inch round tart pan. Score into strips with a fork, then chill 30 minutes. Bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Cool, then slice along the scored lines. Dip in melted bittersweet chocolate and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

original recipe from Food Network Magazine

stand mixer cupcakes

These were made using my go-to yellow cake recipe and buttercream frosting! It's a KitchenAid recipe, from the book "Great Baking and More." In the past I have substituted 1 cup of the flour with spelt flour, and also I've used butter instead of shortening.

.:Quick Yellow Cake:.
.:ingredients:.
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. low-fat milk
2 eggs

.:directions:.
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add eggs. Continuing on Speed 2, mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 6 and beat about 1 minute.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 8 or 9-inch round baking pans, . Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

.: Buttercream Frosting :.
.:ingredients:.
1 1/2 sticks butter, softenend
2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
low-fat milk {optional}

.:directions:.
Place butter in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed 6 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.

Sift powdered sugar into bol. Add vanilla. Turn to Speed 2 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Turn to Speed 6 and beat 2 minutes, or until fluffly.

Harvest Stew

::Crockpot Recipe::

Ingredients:
--1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken (I used chicken)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--3 chopped garlic cloves
--1 can kidney beans, rinsed
--1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
--3 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
--1 acorn squash, peeled and chopped
--1 whole can tomatoes and chilies (rotel)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1/4 tsp cloves
--1/4 tsp all spice
--salt and pepper to taste


The Directions.

Use a big crockpot for this stew. (I used a 6.5 quart)

I didn't brown the meat. If you are using extra lean ground turkey or chicken, there really isn't a need--the only worry about using beef or pork is the fat content. If you prefer those types of meat, or already have it on hand, brown on the stove top and drain before adding to the stew.

Peel and chop all of the vegetables, and add it to the crockpot. Break up the ground meat with your fingers and add it in. Dump in the kidney beans and the can of tomatoes and chilies. Add the broth and the seasonings. Stir well. It will look like there isn't enough liquid, but more will be made from the vegetables and meat.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. I cooked ours on low for exactly 8. It was perfect.