Oatmeal Pancakes

1 Comment

I got this off a vegetarian website whose url I’ve since lost. But there was a vegan variant on there if you’re interested. They turned out great–the best oatmeal pancakes I think I’ve ever had.

  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 2 cups milk or soy milk
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. each brown sugar and baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ¼ cup butter, melted

To make low-fat pancakes:

  • Substitute 4 egg whites for whole eggs
  • Substitute half or all the butter with unsweetened applesauce
  • Serve with low-sugar maple-flavoured syrup, low-sugar jam, or applesauce

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, blend together oats and milk and let stand 5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together white flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

3. To the oat mixture, add the eggs, butter, and the large bowl of dry ingredients.

4. To make pancakes, use approximately ¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook over medium-high heat on a grill or lightly-oiled frying pan.

Navaho Fry Bread

Leave a comment

So I actually got this to work! In the past, the dough has fallen apart or for whatever reason ended up in small fried-scone-type condition. This recipe allows for big ol’ rounds, the kind you can load up as Navaho tacos. I’m guessing the powdered milk is key, as is keeping the oil at a constant temperature (the hardest part for me). This recipe is Beth Hensperger’s from “Breads of the Southwest.”

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c. nonfat dry milk

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder (yes, it’s a lot)

1 teas. salt

4 tbs. vegetable shortening or lard

1 1/2 c. very hot water

Flour or cornmeal for dusting

2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

1) Mix first 4 ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly.

2) Add water & mix well, until dough comes together in a ball.Knead no more than 10 times in bowl. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Cover loosely w/ plastic wrap, let rest at least 30 min.

3) Dust worksurface w/ flour or cornmeal. Pull off 2 to 3 inch balls of dough until done (there should be 16-20)  then cover with a damp towel. Roll out each piece one at a time into thin circles (leave the others covered). Keep the circles covered with plastic wrap. Let rest 20 min.

4) Heat 2 in. of oil in a Dutch oven, heavy wok, or fryer to 380 degrees. Fry a few at a time, about 2 minutes per side. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove, drain on paper towels, keep warm at 200 degrees in oven if necessary.

5) Enjoy! For a sweet variant, add 1/4 c. honey with the hot water back in step 2.

Fudgy Texas Sheet Cake

1 Comment

texas-sheet-cake-1
This recipe is from the 2009 Annual of America’s Test Kitchen. I’ve always thought of Texas Sheet Cake as dry and not that interesting. This cake is the complete opposite–it’s really moist, fudgy, and my mother even thought it was a flourless chocolate cake. To top that off, it’s even better the next day (perfect for entertaining purposes), and quite amazing out of the freezer as well (if you need to hide the leftovers). Note: it’s critical to ice the cake hot out of the oven–so make sure to plan time accordingly!

Fudgy Texas Sheet Cake

Cake
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. white sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. sour cream
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 T. unsalted butter
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. dutch-process cocoa powder

Icing
8 T. butter (one stick)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. dutch-process cocoa powder
1 T. corn syrup
3 c. powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 c. toasted pecans, chopped

1. For the cake: Adjust an oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 18″ x 13″ baking sheet. Combine flour, sugar, soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, vanilla and sour cream in another bowl until smooth.

2. Heat the chocolate, butter, oil, cocoa, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until smooth, 3-5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture until incorporated. Whisk the egg mixture into the batter, then pour into the baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

3. For the icing: About 5 minutes before the cake is done, heat the butter, cream, cocoa, and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread the warm icing evenly over the hot cake and sprinkle with the pecans. Let the cake cool to room temperature on the wire rack, about one hour, then refrigerate until the icing is set, about one hour longer. Cut into 3″ squares. Serve. Cake can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days. Return to room temperature before serving [Test Kitchen’s advice, not mine].

Cheesecake Pie

1 Comment

I’m not exactly sure how to describe this dessert.  It’s kind of a like a faux cheesecake.  It was tasty.

Jason and his dad went hiking in New Hampshire this past week.  The chocolate chip cookies Jason’s dad was carrying in his backpack got smashed to bits, so I decided to make a crust out of the crumbs.  My original idea was to make a pudding pie, but then I realized we had some cream cheese in the fridge and I did some Googling and came up with this dessert.

Cheesecake Pie

Crust
1 1/4 c. cookie crumbs
1/4 c. butter
1/8 c. sugar

Mix crust ingredients together and spread into a pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Filling
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
2 eggs

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour filling evenly over crust.  Bake on baking sheet in preheated 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted one inch from edge comes out clean.

Topping
1 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine topping ingredients. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer.

Chill for 3 hours before serving.

Free-form Summer Fruit Tart

Leave a comment

free-form-tart
This is a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s 2007 annal. It’s quite easy to make, and since any combination of stone-fruit/berries can be used, it’s very, very useful. And delicious. And Sharalee, I hope you’re impressed I got it up this quickly!

Free-form Summer Fruit Tart

Dough
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c. fine-ground cornmeal
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
7 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in. pieces and chilled
2 T. sour cream
2 T. water

Filling
3 c. mixed berries, or pitted stone fruit, cut into 1/4″ slices (I would blanch and peel the stone fruit as well. I’ve tried this recipe with a mix of nectarines and blackberries, peaches and blackberries, and just blackberries. My favorite’s been the nectarines and blackberries, but many more combos still need testing . . . )
2-3 T. sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 T. water

1. For the dough: Process the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add half of the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas, about four 1-second puleses. Add the remaining butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas, about 4 pulses. (You can also do this by hand: whisk the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter with a pastry scraper or two knives–or your fingers, if you need to!)

2. Mix the sour cream and water in a small bowl until combined. Add half of the sour cream mxiture to the flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pusles. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixtures until the dough just comes together, about five 1-second pulses. Turn the dough out onto the counter and flatten into a 6″ disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling.

3. When ready to roll and bake the tart, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the disk of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between 2 large sheet sof parchment paper or plastic wrap to a 13″ circle (if the dough becomes soft and/or sticky, return it to the refrigerator until firm.) Slide the dough, still between the sheets of parchment paper, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

4. For the filling: Discard the top sheet of parchment paper. Pile the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-3″ border. Sprinkle 1-2 T. of the sugar over the fruit and dot with the butter.

5. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit. Brush the top of the tart with the water and sprinkle with the remaining 1 T. sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet with the tart to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Slide the tart off the baking sheet and cool on the rack until warm or room temperature before serving. Exceptionally good with a dollop of whipped cream.

Apricot Cake

1 Comment

If you are lucky enough to have access to fresh apricots this is definitely a recipe you’ll want to try.  It’s incredibly moist and stands well on its own without frosting, though I did double the recipe to make two 9″ rounds and put about 3/4 cup butter cream frosting between them.  

Apricot Cake

2 1/2 cups apricot halves *

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup low-fat milk

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. 

Take 8 apricot halves and puree in blender/food processor until smooth to make 1/3 cup puree. I added a small amount of water (1-2 tsp) to help make it nice and smooth.  Finely chop the remaining apricots to make 1/2 cup and set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the 1/3 cup apricot puree and mix until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Alternately, stir in the flour mixture and the milk, stirring until the batter is smooth.  Fold in the chopped apricots.

Pour the batter into a 9″ round that has been coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake.  When done, the toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks.  When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar and garnish with thinly sliced apricots. Delicious!

* The original recipe called for a 15 oz can of apricot halves (drained).  I’m estimating that I used about 2 1/2 cups of fresh apricots, though you made need a little more or less depending on the size of your apricots.

Easiest Garlic Dip Ever

Leave a comment

This dip is outstanding.  I almost didn’t want to tell my party guests what was in it because it was so simple. I wanted them to stay impressed.  But I told them and now everyone can make this amazing dip.

Plus, it gave me an excuse to use my little dipper for the first time (though I’m sure you could also just simmer this over very low heat in a saucepan).

(From A Year of Slow Cooking)

Easiest Garlic Dip Ever

1 8 oz. block cream cheese
1/3 C. mayonnaise
whole head of garlic, minced (or, if you’re lazy like me, about 2 T. of pre-minced garlic from a jar)

Mix everything in your little dipper (or in a small saucepan) and simmer for an hour or so, stirring occasionally.  Serve with veggies, crackers, pita, whatever.  Fabulous!

Cabbage Slaw with Ginger and Almonds (and no mayo)

Leave a comment

Almond Ginger SlawI found this recipe in an Everyday Food, and I have a lot of cabbage, so I’ve made it a few times, with a little tweaking. It’s good–and different for the summer potluck fare. I’ve left the cilantro, peppers, and almonds on the top, because I think it looks more striking than combining it. In this photo, I substituted the red pepper for grated carrots, just because I had carrots on hand. This slaw would also be great swapping the almonds for peanuts! This is really a summer favorite.

Cabbage Slaw with Ginger and Almonds

  • 4 T. rice-wine vinegar
  • 2 T. Dijon mustard
  • 1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches long), peeled and grated
  • 6 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 medium cabbage, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper (seeds and ribs removed), thinly sliced (or celery, or other crunchy vegetable)
  • 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, ginger, and oils until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and peanuts. Add dressing to taste, and toss to combine. Serve.

Spiced Graham Pie Crust (to go with Fruit Ice Creams)

Leave a comment

Back to blogging! Hooray! We’ve been in our new house five weeks now, and we’re finally settled enough that I can sit at the computer and chronicle a new good thing: the ice cream pie. My friend Kerstin made an inspirational one last week, and then Cooking Light suggested a great dessert would be lemon sorbet with a ginger snap crust. Well, with Brickley’s (in Wakefield, RI) in mind, Rex made a terrific lemon ice cream by adding the zest of two lemons to the Best’s vanilla ice cream, and it worked out well. I couldn’t find a recipe for a ginger snap crusts, so I improvised a little, and thought it worked (for once!).

Spiced Graham Pie Crust

1 bag graham crackers, crushed
1/4 c. almonds, toasted
2 T. sugar
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
dash of allspice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham crackers, almonds and sugar in a food processor  and pulse until almonds and grahams are pea-sized or smaller (or put them in a baggie and crush with a rolling pin). Add melted butter and spices (which you can adjust to your taste), and continue to pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press the graham mixture into an 8″ or 9″ pie dish, and press down with the bottom of a measuring cup to make uniform. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool on a wire rack. Fill with soft ice cream, then freeze 1-2 hours, until firm.

Roasted Beef & Root Vegetables (Crock Pot)

Leave a comment

This was the second meal I made this past weekend as we were finishing up moving in.  Since it’s in the crock pot, it’s perfect for not heating up the kitchen in the summer, but the hearty flavor and root vegetables would make it a great fall or winter dish too.

I had beets and potatoes on hand.  Carrots, turnips or anything that grows underground would also work well.

Roasted Beef & Root Vegetables

1 – 1 1/2 pounds of stew beef
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10-15 small red potatoes, chopped in eighths
10 small beets, quartered (or more.  I love beets, but my Farm Share usually has a limit on how many I can take)
16 oz can unsalted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1/4 C. red wine
1/2 – 1 T. Kosher salt
2 t. pepper
handful of fresh dill (or my substitute when my dill plant is looking puny (it did not take well to the new house), a tablespoon or so of McCormick’s salt-free “It’s a Dilly” seasoning*)

Mix everything together and cook on low for 8 hours.  Smells and tastes divine!  In fact, my husband Jason declared it was the best crock pot meal I’ve made.

*which I just discovered was discontinued.  Shame.  It’s tasty.  Well, any sort of dill-based seasoning should work, if you don’t have fresh dill.