How Time Flies!

I cannot believe it's been over a month since I posted last! That's terrible; inexcusable - but I've been busy. I've been busy at work, since the California budget is in the tanks and our governor and legislators are idiots, and it's been affecting everything our district does. I've been busy at home - yes, I've been cooking - I even took pictures, but for a while I just didn't want to connect that little cord from the camera to the computer to transfer the photos. I DO want to share a fabulous new recipe I got from my friend Chris. He brought it to the Halloween party I went to; it was potluck and I brought my mom's macaroni salad. What Chris actually brought was a salad made with orzo, but since I need to lower the carbs, I made this today with brown rice. It has a lower glycemic value, and the salad still was yummy.

Debbie's Orzo Salad with Feta
from Chris Brunette

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1 box orzo (alternately, you can use 2 cups of brown rice)
6 cups chicken broth/stock (I cheat and use powdered bouillon)
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (green parts, too)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
6-7 oz. crumbled feta (I used a 6-oz. container from Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

In a small bowl, make the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, and honey. Whisk in the olive oil.

In a large pot, bring the orzo or rice to a boil in the chicken stock. Boil until tender (orzo - about 7 minutes; rice - 40 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Add remaining ingredients and toss with the dresssing. Makes about 12 servings; keeps well several days in refrigerator.

Another Winner from Ruth

If you've been reading my blog for several years, you'll remember that I tested recipes for Ruth as she was preparing for publication of her cookbook, Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories. Some of my favorites were her chili, her chocolate bark, and her sour cream coffee cake.

Last week, Ruth posted a recipe for roasted Italian sausage, along with some mushrooms and potatoes. It definitely sounded like something I wanted to try, so that's what we had for dinner tonight. Oh, MY! It's a keeper - and a new favorite. I've only recently started eating Italian sausage in ways other than my father-in-law's sausage and peppers, and I really like this way a lot.

I made a couple of small changes to Ruth's recipe - I had a half a basket of cherry tomatoes that we needed to use, so I tossed them in there, and I used hot Italian sausage instead of the sweet. I also cooked everything longer - 45 minutes did the trick for us. But the basic recipe is the same as Ruth's.

Italian Sausage, Potato, and Mushroom Roast

1-2 tbsp olive oil
4 Italian sausages (I used hot, but Ruth recommends sweet)
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 8 oz. basket cherry tomatoes (not in Ruth's recipe)
4 small new potatoes, cut in eighths
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, (quarter large ones, leave smaller ones whole or halved)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 heaping tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (I used 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary)

1. Preheat to 400°F/200°C. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan large enough to hold everything in one layer.

2. Toss all the ingredients in the pan and roast until done, stirring occasionally (Ruth's recipe said 30 minutes; I cooked mine for 45)


If you want to get Ruth's fabulous cookbook, which is also available on CD, go here.

Apple Blintz Pancakes

I love pancakes. I love all kinds of pancakes, and when I saw this recipe in Real Simple magazine, I knew Don and I would like it. The cottage cheese adds some protein and cuts the carbs a bit, and since the only sugar is the little bit added to the apples, it's not as sweet as if we'd had syrup on our pancakes. The original recipe in Real Simple called for applesauce; I wanted to use some of the apples we got in our organic produce distributions. The filling is simple: dice up a couple apples (don't worry about the peel - I never peel apples in any recipes), and sauté them in a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of brown sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend) until they're softened but not mushy.

Next, make the pancakes:

1 cup pancake mix (I used Trader Joe's multigrain baking mix, but any pancake mix will do)
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup cottage cheese
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup sour cream

Place the pancake mix in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, cottage cheese, milk, oil, and ¼ cup of the sour cream. Stir the wet ingredients into the pancake mix and whisk just to combine. Let the batter rest according to the pancake-mix label directions (or for 5 minutes if you make your own mix). Place a nonstick griddle or skillet coated with oil, butter, or cooking spray over medium-high heat. Spoon or pour about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake onto the griddle. Turn when bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look cooked. Repeat with the remaining batter. Before serving, spoon some of the apples onto one half of each pancake; fold in half and top with some of the remaining sour cream.

The ONLY way to cook fresh Bonito

Bonito is a kind of fish very closely related to tuna. There are some places that even call bonito "skipjack tuna," but the two are not the same thing. Last weekend Don went fishing out of San Diego, and in addition to 10 nice calico bass, he brought back four bonito fillets. We eat bonito grilled, and of course, fresh. I put it in the marinade Sunday morning, and we grilled it that afternoon - not even 24 hours off the boat.

Here's Don all geared up for the grill - notice the requisite beer? He cannot grill anything without a couple beers to keep him company.

Grilled Bonito

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
four to six bonito fillets

Mix melted butter, Worcestershire, and lime juice in a gallon-sized zip bag. Add fillets, and marinate at least 4 hours. Remove fish from bag and grill in a grill basket until done (about 10 minutes on each side).

Pioneer Woman's Coq Au Vin

I'm not EVEN going to post my photo of the Coq Au Vin I made last week. Mine looks pale and washed out. Do you want to see what it really should look like? Go HERE.

Regardless of how mine looked, it tasted fabulous. I've never tried the "traditional" version of Coq Au Vin, but when I saw Ree's version, I had to try it. So rich and tasty.

Coq Au Vin
from Ree Drummond - Pioneer Woman

1 whole cut up fryer chicken (this is a whole chicken the butcher has cut into pieces.)
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
½ medium onion, diced
½ cup roughly chopped carrots, washed and unpeeled
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 lb. sliced white mushrooms
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups Burgundy wine
1 lb. pasta (egg noodles or fettuccine)
2 tablespoons butter
Fresh minced parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sautee bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium low heat until fat is rendered. Remove bacon from the skillet and set aside. Increase heat to medium.
Salt fat site of chicken pieces, then place chicken, fat side down, in skillet and cook in bacon grease until both sides are nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside in a 2-quart baking dish, skin side up.
Saute onions, carrots and garlic in bacon grease until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from grease with slotted spoon and set aside.
In a separate skillet, saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Layer half of the bacon pieces, carrot/onion mixture, and mushrooms in pan with chicken.
Drain most of the grease from the large skillet, then place over medium heat. Add flour to make a roux. Pour in 2 cups Burgundy wine, using a wire whisk to scrape loose all the burned/brown bits. Lightly salt liquid and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with 2 tablespoons butter.
Serve chicken in a pasta bowl with noodles, sprinkling minced parsley over the top. Spoon juice from baking dish over the top of everything.

Chicken in the Crock Pot - a new (to me) recipe

The best crock pot recipes, in my opinion, are those that don't require any browning or pre-cooking of the ingredients. I want to be able to just put things in the crock pot, turn it on, and come home to a finished dish. This recipes fits in that category, except for the rice that needed to be made when I got home.

Brown Sugar Chicken

2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces (I used 4 boneless thighs and 2 boneless breasts, which I cut in half)
1 cup packed brown sugar
⅔ cup vinegar
¼ cup lemon lime soda (this could probably be omitted)
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

Place chicken pieces in your slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with rice.

Note: If you'd like thicker sauce you could add a cornstarch-water slurry (1 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp cold water) about 20 minutes before serving to the liquid in the crockpot.

Verdict: A definite keeper; a recipe we'll have again and again. The chicken almost fell apart - even the breasts are tender instead of dry and tough.

Another Donna Hay recipe: Chicken Roasted on Eggplant and Tomatoes

I was first "introduced" to Donna Hay about 3 years ago when I participated in a Donna Hay cooking challenge. This recipe is from her book the instant cook, which has simple, quick recipes with very few ingredients. I spent this afternoon with my daughter at a car dealership (shoot me NOW) and needed something that came together quickly yet would feed my hungry hubby. With a green salad, this was a tasty, low-carb dinner.

Chicken Roasted on Eggplant and Tomatoes
from Donna Hay

1 small eggplant, thickly sliced
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
2 chicken breast fillets, cut in half
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line a baking tray with baking paper (I used Reynolds' Parchment). Place the eggplant slices on the tray and top with the tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Top each pile with a chicken breast fillet and sprinkle with the parmesan and mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the chicken cooked through. Serves 2-3.

Sour Cream Cake - a childhood delight

When we lived at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, when I was in junior high school, a woman named Carol Scott lived upstairs from us. She gave Mom this recipe - in 1971 - and this cake became a Floyd family favorite. Mom included the recipe in an album of recipes she gave all of us kids about 18 years ago - and I can't believe that I've never made it until now. It is, in Don's opinion, "the best pound cake I have ever had!" I guess it's a pound cake. But it's better than any pound cake you can buy or make. Really.

Sour Cream Cake
Carol Scott, Ramstein AB Germany, 1971

1 cup butter, soften
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, separated
3 cups flour, sifted
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300˚. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Add flour, alternating with the sour cream, until all is well-blended. Wash the beaters well, and in a separate bowl, cream the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites by had into the cake batter, and pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 300˚ for 1 hour (check at 50 and 55 minutes with toothpick). Cool on wire rack about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Store covered.

My Most Favorite Pie in the Whole Wide World

I grew up eating and loving this pie. We always called it Lemon Meringue Pie. I was shocked in my teens to learn that most of the public think Lemon Meringue Pie has a transluscent filling, consisting of eggs, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Yuck. Nope, OUR Lemon Meringue Pie has a filling similar to the filling in a key lime pie. It's made with sweetened condensed milk, and if I didn't have a crust, I could eat the filling out of a bowl with a spoon.

I experimented with the crust this time. Normally I would make a graham cracker crust. This time, I added 1/3 cup of finely ground almonds to the ground graham crackers. Yum! We both thought it was a great addition.

Lemon Meringe Pie

Crust:
1 pkg. (about 9) graham crackers
1/3 cup finely ground almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
3 egg yolks

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350˚. Put graham crackers in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin to smash into fine crumbs. Add almonds, and sugar, and then pour into a small bowl. Add melted butter. Pour mixture into a 9" pie plate (or use a 9-10" springform pan). Bake 6 minutes. Cool 15-20 minutes. Combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl and then pour into pie crust. To make the meringue: in a small mixing bowl mix egg yolks and cream of tartar on high speed. When mixture is frothy, slowly add sugar, mixing until stiff peaks form. You want the sugar dissolved into the egg whites - to test this, rub a small amount between your fingers. You should not feel any sugar grains. Spread meringue on top of filling and bake at 325˚ until lightly brown, 15-20 minutes. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then chill until thoroughly cold

Quick-fix from frozen berries: Mixed Berry Pie

I keep a bag of frozen mixed berries from Costco in my freezer - and pull some out for quick and easy desserts. We've had them over ice cream, with shortcake and whipped cream, in cobblers, cakes, and muffins, and in pies. Last week I made a pie. It's a simple fix: Preheat oven to 425˚. Take 5-6 cups of frozen mixed berries and put in a large bowl so they start to thaw. Toss them with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar or Splenda, 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, and 2 Tablespoons of tapioca (the tapioca helps thicken the filling). When they're partially thawed (or even totally thawed), pour into an unbaked pie shell and top with another crust. Use a shield or foil to protect the edge of the crust from burning. Bake for 10 minutes at 425˚, then lower the temperature to 350˚ and bake another 40 - 45 minutes.

More Take-Alongs: Breakfast in a Muffin

Remember my Grab 'n Go Pumpkin Waffles and Take-Along Breakfast Pockets? Here's another great take-along breakfast. I've done some tinkering with a recipe I found on recipezaar (I think) and added fiber, lowered the sugar, and raised the protein. These were great warm, and are also fine eaten cold while I drive to work.

Breakfast in a Muffin
makes 22-24

6 eggs
¼ cup applesauce
1 cup flour
⅓ cup rolled oats
½ cup sugar
½ cup Splenda
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons bacon bits

Preheat oven to 350˚. Evenly coat 12 (3-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and applesauce until well blended. Add flour, rolled oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Beat until well combined. Stir in cheese, parsley, and bacon bits. Divide batter evenly among the 12 cups.
Bake until lightly browned, and toothpick comes out clean when inserted, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Sunday Visitor

Don and I were watching the end of the golf tournament, and were startled by the crashing and ringing of our wind chimes that hang right outside the kitchen window. I said, "Must be a squirrel hanging on my chimes." They kept swinging and crashing, so Don got up to look. As soon as he got to the window, he saw the bear paw come down from the roof and swipe at the chimes again. He said, "Nope, it's a bear." I didn't believe him, and got up to look just as the bear jumped from the roof to the tree next to the house. As it clambered down the tree, we heard our neighbors yelling at us to come outside and look. They'd followed it down the street as it must have smelled the brownies I was baking. Since there were 5 of us outside at the front of the house, the bear tried to jump over the back fence - and as soon as he was on the other side, a dog chased him back over into our yard. Here he is slowly making his way towards me.






As he got closer, and saw several people in his way (yeah, we should have left him alone), he climbed up the big tree to the roof again and wandered around on our roof for a while.





Don went inside and closed the windows, fearing that the bear wanted the brownies I'd just pulled from the oven. After about 5 minutes of wandering around on the roof, the bear climbed down our chimney to the deck, then jumped off the deck and ran down the street.

Just yesterday, the Forest Service re-opened the picnic area and trailhead that are about a half mile from our house - they'd been closed since the 7th of July because people were feeding a bear there (probably this one). Don blames today's visit on Melanie's brownies.


And here they are - full of sugar and fat and evil gooey-ness. We are going to do our best to eat these sssslllloooowwwwwllllyyyy.

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies
from Melanie of My Kitchen Cafe

2 sticks (8 oz) butter
8 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 inch metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Alternatively, you may use parchment. These are pretty sticky at first!

Melt butter and chocolate in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar to the hot chocolate mixture. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

Whisk in remaining 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth. Whisk in salt and cocoa powder, then add flour and stir until it disappears (do not overbeat).

Spread in pan and bake until a pick inserted in center comes out with crumbs, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature then chill for an hour or more. Lift from pan, place on a cutting board, cut into squares.

Makes 1 13×9 inch pan (yield depends on how big you cut your brownies, but they are rich, so small is fine.

Recipe for Yucatan-Marinated Grilled Chicken

1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, or 8 small boneless chicken thighs
Kosher salt to taste
8 leaves of butter lettuce
cilantro

In a pan or bowl, whisk together orange and lime juices, chile powder and garlic. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill or broil about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked completely.

Serving idea: Place each piece of chicken in the center of a lettuce leaf; top with a sprinkling of cilantro. Roll and eat.

Lemon-Blueberry Roll-ups

I have two inspiration sources for this recipe:
1) Sandra Lee has a new show, and while I'm not a rabid fan, I do like the concept of her show. She takes her "semi-homemade" touch and applies it to cooking inexpensively. I've watched two episodes, and in one of them, she made some apple "pies" using tortillas, peanut butter, and apple pie filling. (In my opinion, if I were to make them, which I probably will, I'll substitute some cream cheese for the peanut butter.)
2) I had some crepes at a food stand during the quilt show in Sisters, Oregon, last month, and they had this filling.

Here's the "recipe:"

1. Cook some flour tortillas (the kind you can get at Costco that are uncooked) until very lightly browned. I suppose you could use regular tortillas, and heat them slightly until they're pliable.
2. Spread each one with a couple tablespoons of canned lemon pie filling.
3. Top the pie filling with a small handful of fresh blueberries (thawed from frozen will do, too).
4. Roll up the tortilla, and top with some sweetened whipped cream. I use Sugar-Free Cool Whip.

Note: I bet these would be even better with some of the lemon curd you can get at Trader Joe's.

Two Rachael Ray Recipes: Chicken Salad PIccata and Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese

Every once in a while I get some time to peruse the recipes on foodtv.com. My favorites usually come from people like Rachael Ray, since they're easy, they're made with ingredients I often have, and many times they're done in 30 minutes.

This one caught my eye because I love chicken piccata, and the idea of a one-dish meal sounded good. (I also think any kind of new potatoes are divine!). I had an Italian potato salad once at Matano's Little Italy (a deli in Yucaipa), and liked the fresh green beans that were in it.

When you make this, be prepared for the contrast between the warm chicken and the cold/cool potatoes and green beans. Once I was mentally prepared for that, it was wonderful. This will be a repeat in our house!

Chicken Salad Piccata
from Rachael Ray

1 ½ lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
½ lb. green beans, halved crosswise
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 large egg
¼ cup flour
Two 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded
¼ cup chicken broth

1. In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Drain in the colander with the potatoes; let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon capers, 3 tablespoons parsley, the lemon peel and half of the lemon juice. Add the potatoes and beans and toss; season with salt and pepper.
3. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg. In another shallow bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat with the flour again, shaking off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.
4. Add the chicken broth to the skillet; cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon capers, 1 tablespoon parsley and lemon juice. Top the salad with the chicken and drizzle with the pan sauce.

The next dish was one we had twice this week - once on Tuesday, with some turkey burgers, and then again on Friday with some fish. It makes a LOT, so we still have some leftovers. I saw this in this month's Everyday magazine, and since we like jalapeño poppers, we thought this would be good. It was. I wish it were "gooey-er" though. Don't skimp on the peppers - they might look like a lot when you chop them up, but the cooking lessens the intensity of the capsicum, and I wish I'd added an extra jalapeño.

Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
from Rachael Ray

Salt and pepper
1 lb. hollow, ridged corkscrew pasta, such as cavatappi
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 jalapeño chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ cups whole milk
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot. In a skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Add the jalapeños, serranos and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the pasta. Preheat the broiler. In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and onion over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth, 5 minutes; stir into the pasta. Stir in the jack cheese; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and broil until browned, about 3 minutes.

Tinkering with Recipes: Applesauce Puffs

Sometimes we get tired of eggs or pancakes for breakfast, so this morning I was looking for some muffins. I found this recipe in my files, and decided to tinker with it a little to make it a little healthier.

Here's the original recipe:

Applesauce Puffs

2 c. Bisquick
½ c. sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ c. applesauce
¼ c. milk
1 egg


Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in applesauce, milk and egg. Drop into well greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. While still warm dip into melted butter and dip in a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Makes 24 muffins.

Now, while I have Bisquick, I hardly ever use it. I prefer using Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking Mix - and I've learned you can use it for any recipe that calls for Bisquick.



Here are the changes I made:

1. Substituted Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking Mix for the Bisquick.
2. Used Cranberry-Raspberry Applesauce + Fiber instead of regular applesauce
3. Used Splenda Granular instead of sugar
4. Added 1/2 cup chopped pecans

So here's my revised recipe:

Applesauce Puffs

2 cups Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking Mix
½ c. Splenda Granular
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ c. Cranberry-Raspberry Applesauce+Fiber
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in applesauce, milk and egg. Drop into well greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. While still warm dip into melted butter and dip in a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Makes 24 muffins.

Potato Bundles from Pioneer Woman

Don wanted steak last night; we hadn't had one in many months. So at the commissary, while I restocked my fridge, freezer and shelves after 6 weeks on the road, I picked up two ribeyes. Originally I'd planned on baking a large potato and sharing it, but I saw these potatoes on Pioneer Woman and had to try them. It won't be the last time - these are GOOD.

Go HERE for Bree's post, with pictures. Mine is much simpler, since I don't document every step with photos. She's a much better photographer. Plus, I forgot to take a picture of them after they were cooked.

Potato Bundles
from The Pioneer Woman

Russet potatoes, cut into chunks

Yellow or white onion, cut into chunks
Butter (regular, salted)
Heavy cream
Kosher salt
Paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Pile potatoes and onions on a square of foil. Add 2 tablespoons butter, splash on some cream, then sprinkle on salt, paprika, and black pepper. Wrap bundles tightly and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until extremely tender.

Imagine a photo of some yummy potatoes here!

Roasted Chickpeas

Don't these look good? My first try. I made some Four Bean Salad, but the can of garbanzos/chickpeas was one of those double-sized ones. I used half of them for the salad, and made a good snack for Don and me with the rest.

Roasted Chickpeas

1 15-oz can. chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt

Preheat oven to 425˚. Line a baking sheet with foil (otherwise, the chickpeas leave marks on your baking sheet). Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and dry on paper towels. In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with cayenne and garlic powder. Don't salt them yet. Roast approximately 30 minutes - keep an eye on them, and when they're all brown, test one for crunchiness. You want them all crunchy, because when they cool, the ones that were still a little chewy become rubbery. When they're all brown and crunchy, cool on paper towels.

Found it! It's Dukkah

Thanks to SarahKate at Abercrombie & Feast, the recipe I wanted has been found. It's called Dukkah, and I plan to make some as soon as I get back home (we're still on our long camping trip). I'll make some changes - the recipe I found called for, among other things, hazelnuts, fennel, and mint - none of which I like or were in the dukkah I had at Kokanee Cafe. I'll use almonds like they did.

Thanks, SarahKate!

Looking for a recipe

We ate dinner on my birthday at the Kokanee Cafe in Camp Sherman. Before the meal, the waitress brought out a small plate on which she had placed a little pitcher of olive oil and a container of a mixture she called doha. I even asked her to spell it. It had roasted chopped almonds in it, along with some "middle eastern" spices (her words). We were also given some slices of crusty bread. We were told to put some of the olive oil on the bread, then some of the doha - the olive oil was to help keep it on the bread.

Has anyone heard of this? I would LOVE to get a recipe for it.
Thanks!