Recipe of the Day

2.28.09  Well, I am actually going to make the aforementioned Sheet Cake.  Pictures will  be posted along with my personal review tomorrow.  Cross your fingers.

Back to  new recipes.  In my avoiding the business of Saturday, I have found a particularly interesting and challenging blog.  She has posted a painfully healthy recipe and by george I think I will make it.  It just might be wonderful!

Towards Sustainability
Bircher Muesli
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup seeded prunes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sultanas or raisins
300ml orange juice
1 cup apricot-flavoured yoghurt
2 tbs honey
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup wheatgerm
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
2 tbs sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1. Combine oats, dried fruits, juice, milk, yoghurt, honey, coconut and wheatgerm in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or for up to 3 days.

2. Stir through nuts and seeds before serving. Serve with plain yoghurt and fresh fruit. Makes 10-12 generous servings.

And you know you want to make these!

Bliss Balls

Ingredients
1 cup puffed millet or rice
½ cup dessicated coconut
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup rice malt syrup or honey
½ cup tahini
1 cup almond meal or ground LSA mix (linseeds, flax and almonds)
1 cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts etc)

1 cup chopped dried apricots

Method

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a processor and mix together. Gradually add the tahini and the rice malt until well combined.

2. Roll into small balls and coat with sesame seeds or coconut. Store in the refrigerator. Makes a large plate full

3. To freeze, layer between sheets of baking paper/wax paper/Kraft paper to prevent them from sticking together. Thaw in the refrigerator.

2.24.09  My recipe of the day today was Dominos Pizza.  I gardened.  Enough said.

 

2.23.09  Ok, maybe it’s just me but this sounds delicious and incredibly healthy.  I think I may be interested in eating Greek food a little more these days.  If you try this, let me know.  

Spanakorizo      

Ingredients
2 large yellow onions, finely diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Two cloves garlic, mashed
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tbsp dried dill
3/4 cup white sushi rice
1/2 lb fresh tomatoes, diced
1 lb of fresh spinach (1 large package)
Juice from 1 lemon

In a large skillet on medium heat, sautée the onions in 2 tbsp olive oil ifor about 5 minutes, or until golden; add pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and dill. Add garlic. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Stir in rice and simmer, covered, until rice begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook until tomatoes soften, about a couple minutes. Then add spinach in quarters, allowing each batch to wilt down before adding the next batch. Then cover and simmer until spinach is fully softened, another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drizzle remaining olive oil and lemon juice over mixture. Serve immediately.   

2.20.09

Ok, for the record, I can’t remember where I found this.  I am so sorry to the author or site I scavenged this from, but I just don’t know where it was hiding.  I know it was somewhere trustworthy and that I immediately knew that I had to make it.  I haven’t yet, but this may be the perfect Sunday morning pancake.  

Cinnamon Sour Cream Pancakes

2 large eggs, separated


1 cup sour cream (light works just fine)


1 Tablespoon granulated sugar


1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1/2 cup flour


1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


1 Tablespoon butter for cooking


Unsalted butter and pure maple syrup for serving

Beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks and sour cream together. Add the sugar and cinnamon and whisk until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir the flour mixture into the batter then gently fold in the egg whites.

Melt the butter in a skillet or on a griddle. In batches, spoon the batter into the skillet and spread slightly, making a 4 inch pancake. Cook until small bubbles form and the bottom is light brown. Flip and cook the second side until golden. Keep warm until all pancakes are cooked and serve immediately with butter and pure maple syrup.

 

 

 

 

2.18.09

Well, it can’t always be desserts. So here is what is for dinner in my house:

Parmesan Chicken (Heather’s way)

 

    

        

         INGREDIENTS 

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together onion soup mix, milk, and cream of mushroom soup in a medium bowl.
2. Lay chicken breasts in the bottom of a lightly greased slow cooker. Place one tablespoon margarine butter (or olive oil for me) on each chicken breast and pour soup mixture over all. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
3. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours, or on High for 4 to 6 hours.
4. Serve over noodles or rice of your choice.

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Ok, so I didn’t make the cake.  Instead I bought heart shaped Krispy Kreme doughnuts and made the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made.  Yummy.  Crispy and chewy.  Buttery and sweet, but not too sweet.  Perfection.  Homemade.

Here it is for you to enjoy:

 

Best Ever Chewy, Crunchy Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. (I baked on 300 degrees in my convection oven for 20 minutes.)
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

♥Ok, so don’t forget to melt the butter!  That was critical.  And my new best friend is parchment paper.  Used it on my plain old fashioned metal pans and it put my pampered chef stoneware out of business.  The cookies I made on the stoneware is STILL stuck on there.  You will not be disappointed with these cookies.  I would like to claim them as my own formulation after hours of tweaking.  But it ain’t!  I rambled on over to allrecipes and they were kind enough to let me use it.  And it is well worth it.  And so easy!  It doesn’t even matter if you forget to soften the butter…CUZ YOU HAVE TO MELT IT! ♥

 

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I never know quite what to cook, but I sure do like finding new recipes and sharing what works.  Enjoy.

This is what I will be making for Valentine’s Day.  I did find it over at Pioneer Woman and I thoroughly enjoy her!   I will let you know how it goes.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake


Combine in a mixing bowl:


2 cups flour


2 cups sugar


1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt: 


2 sticks butter


Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together. 


Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

 

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.


Add:
2 beaten eggs


1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon vanilla


 

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

 

While cake is baking, make icing:


Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.


Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.


Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. 


Add:
6 tablespoons milk


1 teaspoon vanilla


1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar


Stir together.


Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever