Light! Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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So, perhaps like many Americans come January, I’m fishing through cookbooks and trying to lighten up this month. Sometimes it’s hard going when you like your food to taste good, but this recipe is excellent–the missing calories aren’t notably missing, and I would definitely make this one come any other month of the year. A great side dish. This recipe comes from the Best Light Recipe. Make sure to allow for enough cooking time–it’s on the long side, but welcome if you have other things to prepare while this dish is cooking.

Light Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into fourths, then crosswise into 1/4″ slices
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. water
1 T. butter, melted
6 T. half and half, warmed

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes, salt and sugar, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover. Allow to steam for 35-40 minutes, until a sweet potato falls apart when pricked by a fork. Remove from heat. Using a potato masher [or a fork], mash the sweet potatoes until creamy, then add the melted butter and warmed half and half. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

This recipe serves 4. One serving has 220 calories, 6 grams fat, and 6 grams of fiber, if you’re interested.

2010 in review

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WordPress just emailed me this information, and I thought some of you might be interested in it as well. Funny what’s popular here! I really never would have guessed . . .

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 9,500 times in 2010. That’s about 23 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 62 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 160 posts. There were 32 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 68mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was November 24th with 98 views. The most popular post that day was Soft, Buttery Dinner Rolls .

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were kellyim10.blogspot.com, kellyim.blogspot.com, facebook.com, happykappys.blogspot.com, and kristenandjoshwilde.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for cherry cheesecake brownies, cafe rio tres leches recipe, fluffy sugar cookies, homemade potato burger roll, and dinner rolls.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Soft, Buttery Dinner Rolls November 2009
2 comments

2

Tres Leches Cake June 2009
4 comments

3

Gooey Rice Krispie Treats July 2009

4

Stir Fried Zucchini and Baby Bok Choy July 2009
1 comment

5

Aunt Caryn’s Soft and Fluffy Sugar Cookies September 2009
4 comments

Mint Chocolate-Covered Cookies

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This is my favorite Christmas cookie. I have made it the last three years to pass out to friends, but it’s actually quite difficult to hand them all away (yet a healthy exercise in self-discipline). I think they are wonderful. I hope someone else enjoys this recipe as well. This recipe comes from the December 2007 Everyday Food.

Mint Chocolate-Covered Cookies

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. salt
6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/2 t. pure vanilla
12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 t. pure peppermint extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, cocoa, powder and 1/4 t. salt together in a medium bowl.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined.

3. Form balls of dough (each equal to 1 t.), and place on two baking sheets, about 2″ apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in water, and flatten balls into 1 1/2″ rounds (about 1/4″ thick). Bake until slightly firm to the touch, 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Make chocolate coating: Place chocolate, peppermint extract, and remaining 1/8 t. salt in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2-3 minutes; remove from heat. [Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each zap.]

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set each cookie across the tines of a fork, dunk in chocolate, then tap underside of fork on side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

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I clipped this recipe from last year’s December Living magazine. I went to make them last January, and there was no eggnog left on Stop n Shop’s

Martha's photo

shelves (and I wasn’t up to mixing some myself), so it was a must-do this year. And I’m glad I did. They taste probably how you’d imagine an eggnog cheesecake to taste. Divine. This may only be of use for next year, but if there’s still some eggnog left in your market, you may want to snag it . . .

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Makes 18

  • Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pan
  • 12 graham crackers, finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup eggnog
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brandy
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for dusting
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Stir together graham crackers, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter. Press into bottom of pan. Bake until crust is just brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the eggs, yolk, eggnog, flour, brandy, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt; beat until smooth. Pour filling over crust. Set pan in a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of baking pan. Bake until just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove baking pan from water bath, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  3. Cut into 1 1/2-by-3-inch bars. Lightly dust tops of bars with freshly grated nutmeg just before serving. You can refrigerate these bars for up to 5 days (like they would last that long!).


Pumpkin Spice Custard

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This is my take on a recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple, which apparently is their take on a recipe from Bon Appetit.  If anyone’s else’s New Years resolutions include eating fewer carbohydrates and cutting out refined sugar, this is a great, slightly sweet dessert.  Jason likes to put whipped cream on his to give it some more sweetness.

Pumpkin Spice Custard

4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (last night I used 1 cup almond milk and 1 cup regular milk to make it a little creamier)
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a saucepan, combine the milk and maple syrup and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla until yolks are very smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add pumpkin and spices and whisk together.  Add the warm milk and syrup to the eggs, whisk together until well combined.

Using a sieve, pour egg mixture so it evenly settles in 4-6 ramekins.  Place ramekins in a baking dish big enough so the ramekins don’t touch one another.  Create a warm water bath by pouring hot water into the baking dish so that it comes up to the level of the custard on the outside of each individual ramekin. This water is to prevent the custard from burning.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake until custards are set around the edges, about 40 minutes. Allow custards to further set by refrigerating for at least 2 hours. Or serve them right away, warm.

Pumpkin Spice Swirl Sweet Rolls

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This recipe comes from Beth Hensperger’s Bread for All Seasons. I remembered it in November, when I was using a

So fall.

lot of pumpkin, and really loved the results. It has the softness that sweet rolls made with potato have, but the spice filling is remarkable. I topped these rolls with a drizzle of icing, mostly for appearance. Alternately, you can make this dough into a loaf of swirl bread, which I haven’t done, but I’m sure it would be fantastic.

Pumpkin Spice Swirl

1 T. active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. warm buttermilk
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 T. granulated sugar
3 T. corn oil
1 egg
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 T. salt
6 1/4-6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Sweet Spice Streusel
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
grated zest of one orange
1 t. cinnamon
pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
4 T. unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Spiced Cinnamon Sugar
1 1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1 1/2 t. nutmeg
1 t. cloves
2 T. unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about ten minutes.

2. In a large bowl with a whisk or in the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm buttermilk, pumpkin puree, the 3 T. sugar, oil, egg, orange zest, salt and 2 c. of the flour. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1 c. more of the flour. Beat 1 minute longer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. flour at a time, until a soft dough is formed that just clears the sides of the bowl, switching to a wooden spoon as necessary if making by hand.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and springy, about 3 minutes, adding only 1 T. flour at a time as necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a greased deep container, turn once to coat the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 -1 1/2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the sweet spice streusel. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter pieces until coarse crumbs are formed. Alternatively, use a food processor to combine the ingredients. Set aside.

5. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and divide into two pieces, then pat each piece into a long rectangle, about 8 x 12 inches. To make the spiced cinnamon sugar, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and spices. Brush the surface of each rectangle lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Starting from the narrow end, roll up jelly-roll fashion to form a fat-loaf shaped. Pinch seam together to seal completely. Slice each log into 6-8 rolls (depending on how big you want them). Place rolls on two greased cookie sheets, and let rise app 45 minutes. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Sprinkle the top of each roll heavily with a portion of the sweet spice streusel. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the rolls are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove to rack to cool.

Walnut and Brown Sugar Rugelach

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This cookie was by far the best Christmas cookie I made last year, so I thought I’d share. The ingredients seem humble, but they come together

Also Martha's Picture

terrifically. I would definitely recommend this as a cookie to pass out to friends.

Walnut and Brown Sugar Rugelach

Makes 32

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
  1. In a food processor, blend butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined. Add flour, and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw before baking).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, combine egg with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash.
  3. Working with one disk at a time, place dough on lightly floured parchment paper, and roll out into an 11-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick), dusting lightly with flour as needed. Using a large dinner plate as a guide, cut around dough to make a perfect circle; trim off and discard scraps. Brush circles with egg wash; dividing evenly, sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar.
  4. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 16 equal triangles. Starting from the wide end, roll up each triangle of dough; place on lined baking sheets, seam side down. Brush rolls with egg wash.
  5. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 32 minutes. Transfer rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.


Mexican Wedding Cakes

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This recipe comes from Everyday Food–I clipped it a few years ago, and my kids gave them high marks, probably because they are covered in

Martha's Picture, not mine

powdered sugar. Rex took them into his department today, and they got great reviews again. I just picked up the new Test Kitchen Cookie Magazine, which calls these Russian Tea Cakes and the main differences are that it has you toast your nuts first, and it has less than half the amount of pecans and excludes the cinnamon. The Test Kitchen also suggests rolling the cakes in powdered sugar once when the cookies are warm, and then again when they have cooled. Martha’s cookie works great, and I like the cinnamon (perhaps that’s the difference between the Mexican and the Russian version?). At any rate, you may see these as Christmas gifts this year . . .

Mexican Wedding Cakes

Makes 24 cookies

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

    FOR THE GARNISH

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  1. In a food processor, pulse pecans, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal; add butter and pulse until a dough forms [I don’t have a large cuisinart, so I pulsed the pecans, and then added the other dry, whisked, then cut in the butter like you would a pie dough, and stirred it together. Make sure the butter is incorporated well; a large clump of butter will cause misshapen cookies]. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap tightly in plastic; refrigerate until firm, 30 to 60 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 level tablespoon (I just used a cookie scoop). Space 1 1/2 inches apart on two large baking sheets. Bake, switching sheets from top to bottom halfway through, until cookies are just golden around edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
  3. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a rack to cool completely. Place confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. Roll cookies in sugar twice to coat thoroughly, tapping off excess.


Happy Thanksgiving Muffins (Gluten-Free/Low-Sugar)

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Don’t let that stuff up there in the parentheses fool you.  These are yummy!  I just ate a couple while watching the Macy’s Parade.

I finished all my Thanksgiving prep last night (which I highly recommend.  2 casseroles, a pie and some appetizers tucked neatly in the fridge), but still woke up early this morning.  So I poked around online looking for something tasty to make for us for breakfast and found this low-carb muffin recipe.  I made a couple modifications and wound up with our breakfast:

Happy Thanksgiving Muffins

1/2 cup flax meal
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 and 1/4 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup water

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar (The original recipe called for a granulated artificial sweetener, but I thought a little brown sugar wouldn’t hurt anyone and was better for us than something artificial anyway)
2 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; butter muffin pans.  Mix dry ingredients well (exclude those used for topping).  Add beaten eggs, melted butter, water, and sweetener to the dry mixture. Mix well.  Fill muffin cups a bit more than half way with the mixture.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Allow muffins to cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove.

When the muffins are cool enough to handle, dip the tops in the melted butter you allocated for the topping, followed by the brown sugar.

Makes 12 muffins.

Parmesan-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

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This was a fabulous appetizer our sister Mary made last Thanksgiving that I thought I’d share. She didn’t stuff them with cheese, but I know this couldn’t hurt (in fact, I think my preference would be for goat cheese). This recipe is from epicurious.com.

Parmesan-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

  • 18 (1- by 1/4-inch) sticks Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a 1/2-lb piece)
  • 18 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
  • 6 bacon slices, cut crosswise into thirds

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Stuff 1 piece of cheese into each date, then wrap 1 piece of bacon around each date, securing it with a pick. Arrange dates 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.

Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper bag or parchment. Serve immediately.