We are always looking for ways to increase our veggie intake. Part of the problem is our everyday veggies are BORING. Let me clarify, Veggies aren’t boring, it’s our method of prep. We should be arrested for vegetable prep neglect and indifference. We often find ourselves nuking frozen corn or mixed veggies as we sit down to eat. Veggies are a sad afterthought.
No More
Expanding our veggie-verse has become a priority. What we have discovered are the veggie-centric dishes such as Chinese Cucumbers, Indian Dal,Aloo Gobi, KoreanBanchan, or Japanese Tsukemono. Make batches ahead of time so dinner on a busy night means pulling out the Tupperware from the fridge. Win-win!
One of my favorites is Kinpira Renkon or Stir-fry lotus root. Make a batch and store it in the fridge. Super simple to make and a delicious accompaniment to rice. I tweaked the recipe to include carrots and cloud ears (black cloud mushrooms). Look for fresh lotus root in Asian supermarkets, it is mild in flavor, crunchy, and delish. It also comes vacuum-packed, sliced, and ready to use. If you can’t find it, Jicama might work.
Slice the lotus root and place it in water with a touch of vinegar. Julienne the carrots, and soften the cloud ear mushrooms in warm water. That’s it. The veggies are then sauteed’ in soy sauce, Mirin (cooking wine), and sesame oil. Easy peasy.
Keyword black fungus, Carrots, Kimpira, lotus root
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Ingredients
The Star
2-2.5cupslotus rootpeeled and thinly sliced
2Cupswateror enough water to cover lotus root
2Tspvinegar
The Supporting Cast
1/2cupcarrotsjulienned
1Tdried cloud ear mushrooms Once soaked will yield about 1/3 cup
1tbsptoasted sesame oil
1tbspvegetable oil
2tbspmirin
2tbspsoy sauce or tamari
To Finish:
1tsptoasted sesame seeds
dash of chili flakes or 1 small fresh chili pepper, thinly sliced, for milder version de-seed and de-vein pepperoptional (shichimi togarashi is recommended)
1 stalkgreen onion, dicedoptional
Instructions
Soak the lotus slices in cold water and vinegar for 10 minutes and drain and rinse a couple of times.
In a large saucepan over high heat, warm both oils. Once hot, add the lotus root slices and cook until they become soft, 4-5 minutes. Add carrots halfway through cooking time. Stir in the mirin, soy sauce/tamari and reduce heat to low. Add cloud ears when you add the sauce ingredients to pan.
Simmer until the marinade has almost disappeared.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi prior to serving.
Peanuttttt, peanut butter….cookie! If asked what my favorite cookies are, Shortbread, Snickerdoodles, and Thumbprints immediately come to mind. Peanut Butter Cookies would not make the cut and yet a quick search of 3Jamigos will reveal more than a few recipes for peanut butter cookies. This leads to my 🤦🏻♀️ forehead slap moment “I LOVE peanut butter cookies, they should be on my fav list.” Life’s little epiphanies.
The other night our postcard posse reconvened to write cards for Reverend Warnock in Georgia. How he is in a run-off with Hershel Walker is beyond me and beyond the scope of this blog. I made a half-hearted promise to keep this site apolitical. Just food, friends, and fluff. So in the immortal words of Forest Gump… “that’s all I have to say about that.”
For our postcard session against He who shall not be named, my friend’s daughter, Avery, of Kentucky Butter Cakefame, dropped off some just baked Peanut Butter Cookies for our crew. I’m sure in solidarity and because she loves to bake (and she is darn good at it).
One Bite…
and I knew there was going to be yet another peanut butter cookie recipe on 3Jamigos. Yep, Avery’s PB Cookies were tender, chewy in the center, super peanut buttery, sweet, and salty, and just darn delicious. I got on the horn (ok, I texted) faster than you can say Mr. Planter’s Peanuts and asked “can I PLEASEEE have the recipe”.
Lucky Her Mom Likes Me
Voila’ the recipe showed up in my text message, lickity-split. Adapted from a very cute blog Dessert Now Dinner Later, the recipe for Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies is easy and does not require chilling before baking. You can have a batch of these bad boys done in less than an hour.
I use King Arthur flour which has a higher protein than GM or Pillsbury. Feel free to bake off a test cookie, if it spreads too much, add a bit of flour.
Cream the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes until it is well blended and smooth looking, not fluffy.
Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. If you like more texture, feel free to use chunky peanut butter. Beat until well combined.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined with no remaining traces of flour. Do not overbeat as this will toughen the cookie.
Use a #40 scoop (approximately 1.6 tablespoons) and place the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake one sheet at a time. Cause that’s how I roll or row actually, lol. The final cookies will be just shy of 3 inches in diameter.
The cookies on top were baked for 12 minutes. The cookies on the bottom with sprinkles, about 11 minutes.
This would be a lovely holiday cookie to gift or for Santa along with an ice-cold glass of milk or a hot toddy (don’t tell the kids).
1/2cupcreamy peanut butter or chunky if you likeI use Skippy Natural Style peanut butter
1large egg
1tspvanilla
Options
chocolate chips or sprinkles, raw sugar, Maldon Salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lined cookie sheets with parchment or silpat. (note silpats retain heat, check cookies a minute or two earlier.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, using a whisk.
Cream the butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Batter should be smooth and creamy not fluffy which would give you cakey cookies. Use the paddle attachment.
Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl.
Add flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
Scoop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until just set*.
Allow cookies to cool slightly on the sheet for approximately 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
For softer, chewier cookies, bake approximately 10 minutes, +/- 30 seconds. The cookies will not color much and the top may still have some sheen. The cookies will continue to bake outside the oven. For a denser, cookie that's a bit crumbly (in a good way), bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will have some color on top and the edge. The bottoms will be a bit darker.Feel free to embellish. Add mini-chocolate chips to dough or add sprinkles. I use a blend of dark chocolate sprinkles, Demerara Sugar or raw sugar, and a sprinkle of Maldon Salt.
Cracker for crackers like me? I love crackers, the perfect vehicle for dips, spreads, and cheese…it is the ultimate edible utensil. Taking its place as the number one cracker in my book is Ritz Crackers. Buttery, golden, flaky rounds that go with everything.
When I find a recipe that uses crackers…I’m all there, Babee. I know it’s gonna be good, especially if it calls for Ritz Crackers. One of my favorite desserts is the Atlantic Beach Pie, a delicious, easy, Lemon Pie with a whipped cream top instead of meringue and a Ritz Cracker crust, a play on salty and sweet.
On the main dish front, I love Eric Kim’s Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts, chicken breasts coated in a sour cream-mustard mixture, and rolled in crushed Ritz Crackers and cheddar cheese, think Shake and Bake but WAY better.
DUH
So, when I came across a recipe from Christina Tosi of Milk Bar fame, for a Ritz Cookie, little alarms went off in my head. GOTTA MAKE THESE ASAP. Tosi is known for her delicious, quirky desserts like Crack Pie, Compost Cookies, and my personal favorite, Corn Cookies. I immediately headed to the kitchen to make a batch.
These cookies are pretty darn easy to make. It calls for butter, granulated sugar, flour, egg, milk powder, and Ritz Crackers. The recipe is on Christina Tosi’s website and as such is pretty casually written, I’ve added some details to hopefully clarify some of the steps. Let’s get started.
Puttin In the Ritz
I use King Arthur’s AP flour in this recipe. Doing a deep dive, ok, a Google search, Christina Tosi uses bread flour for cookies. Bread flour has a higher protein content which probably slows down cookie spread. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Break up Ritz Crackers into pieces, not too small.
Though the type of butter is not specified, I used unsalted butter which worked fine. If you want a pronounced sweet-salty vibe, start with salted butter instead, or sprinkle Fleur de Sel or your choice of finishing salt on the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Beat butter and sugar until combined and smooth not fluffy.
Add the egg (I might add a touch of vanilla next time too-1 tsp), and beat well. Add dry mix and blend on low speed just until combined. Once the flour is added, don’t beat too much. You don’t want tough cookies.
Add the Ritz Crackers! Note how big the pieces are.
On low speed, stir until the crackers are mixed into the dough. This breaks the larger pieces into smaller ones which is what you want. You don’t want cracker dust. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, this helps a bit with excessive spread.
Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, form dough balls, and place on a parchment-lined sheet. Word of caution, they spread quite a bit so space at 2-3 inches apart. I also tried a 3-tablespoon scoop, interestingly enough it didn’t spread that much more than the 2-tablespoon scoop and formed a thicker cookie.
To create round cookies, as soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, quickly shape each cookie with a spatula or cover each with a glass cup and swirl the cookie around. Voila’ round cookie. Cookies on the left were made with a 3-tablespoon scoop while the ones on the right were with a 2-tablespoon scoop. Thinner cookies were a bit chewier.
Bake Time
The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup or 4-tablespoon scoop, 10-12 minutes. These still took about 11 minutes despite less dough. The bottoms were definitely a toasty brown, the edges crispy, and the center chewy and sturdy. Start checking early, as they color quickly. Remove when there is still a hint of sheen on the top of the cookie. The cookies will continue to cook out of the oven.
2sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)at room temperature
1-3/4cups granulated sugar
1large egg
Dry Ingredients
1-1/4cupsall-purpose flour
1/4cup nonfat milk powder
1-1/2teaspoons kosher salt
3/4teaspoon baking powder
3/4teaspoon baking soda
The Star
2-1/2cupsor 1 sleeve + 5 Ritz crackersBreak crackers into big pieces, once added to batter they will breakdown a bit more. Do not crush.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl, on medium speed, mixing until smooth about 1 -2 minutes. Add the egg, beat again until well combined.
Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until it is blended. Do not overbeat.
Add the crackers and mix until fully incorporated. You want your crackers to break down into smaller pieces as you mix, but not to cracker dust stage. There should be small pieces of crackers in the dough.
Scoop dough on a greased baking sheet (or use parchment paper) 2 to 3 inches apart. The recipe calls for a 1/4 inch scoop which makes HUGE cookies and about 18 cookies. Use a 2-tablespoon or 4-tablespoon scoop which yields 24-36 cookies. You should have twice the number of cookies.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are a deep golden brown and the center a paler golden brown. The dough spreads quite a bit. Chilling the dough helps a bit, but my quick fix to rounding the cookies-as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push the edges to shape the cookies into circles. Conversely, use a glass slightly larger than the cookie, place over the cookie and swirl the cookie to round out the shape.
Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool. Enjoy!
About this time of year, I wax nostalgic about one of my passions (not food this time), rowing. Say what? Yes, rowing. I started rowing, gosh too many years ago to count, and it changed my life. Instead of trudging toward a sedentary, middle-aged lifestyle, it became my sport and form of exercise.
Spending early morning hours on the water (trust me, I am not a morning person) watching the sunrise, the first rays of light hitting the ripples of water made by the boat, it’s magical. Beyond that (there’s more?), I have made lifelong friends, found a community, and experienced the camaraderie created by competition, joy, and pain. #Crewlife
Rock Star Regatta
Boston annually hosts the largest regatta (rowing competition) in the world, the Head of the Charles. Every October, collegiate, high school, Masters (anyone out of school) converge for the regatta. Imagine the Boston Marathon but with a bunch of really tall people, wearing spandex (lol) in boats on the Charles. We row as hard as we can for 5km. All the while navigating through boats, under bridges (5), and around turns. Throngs of spectators line the bridges and banks of the Charles to watch and root their rowers on. It’s exhilarating, I haven’t raced there in a while and I miss it.
Side Trip Fun
If you go that far to race for twenty minutes, you might as well take advantage of being there. We began taking side trips after Head of the Charles. One year we went to Vermont to find pie, visit King Arthur Flour, and tour Ben and Jerry’s. Another year found us in Martha’s Vineyard. The crowds of summer long gone, we wandered the island taking in the cool, crisp, fall weather, foliage colors, and FOOD! We stopped at 7aFoodsfor pastries and coffee which I highly recommend. Finally, a stop at Morning Glory Farm to roam their pumpkin patch and eat more pie, the Buttermilk Pie was a standout.
The 7AFoods Oat and Fruit Bars were dreamy-a buttery crust topped with blueberry preserves, dried fruits, oat, and a delicious crumble. I asked for the recipe which they graciously sent BUT I have yet to try as it makes two full sheets of bars! So I searched for a simpler, smaller recipe that would satisfy my 7AFoods bar craving. Luckily, I found a delightful, easy-to-make Raspberry Coconut Oat Bar cookie from One Girl Cookies that did the trick.
So, I made a batch of these delicious bars while watching this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta. Sigh, maybe next year I’ll be rowing instead of baking.
Finally, Notes on the One Girl Cookies Raspberry Coconut Oat Bar
These bars are easy to make. The base crust and crumble are from the same dough. The dough starts with cold butter, eliminating the time to soften butter, and can be made in a mixer or by hand. Yep, that easy. Use a mixer, add the flour, sugars, salt, and butter (diced into little pieces) and mix until it forms a crumble, then add coconut and oatmeal. Use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour and sugar mixture. This is much like making pie dough. Do not blend until it forms a single mass as that would result in a tough crust. As it bakes, the bits of butter in the dough melt and create steam that makes a tender, flaky crust.
NACL Note
The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt. It is intentionally salt-forward, a play on the salty and sweet vibe. If you use a really sweet jam, I would leave the amount of salt. If you are salt sensitive, try 3/4 teaspoon instead. You do need some salt as a flavor booster.
Reserve 3/4 to 1 cup of the crumble mixture. Press the remaining dough into a 9×13 baking pan that has been lined with parchment. The recipe calls for baking the crust for 14 minutes, it took a couple of minutes more for the edges to brown for me. Spread preserves over the cooled crust. I have used blueberry, mixed berry, and apricot, it’s your choice. The base crust is pretty thin so a thin layer of jam is all that is needed. I might sprinkle the jam layer with dried fruit and sliced almonds before adding the crumble next time.
Before adding the crumble, squeeze the crumble mixture so there are some bigger crumbs, it looks nicer.
Jam & Coconut Oat Bars, a buttery shortbread base topped with preserves and a coconut oatmeal crumble. Adapted from One Girl Cookies.
Course bar cookies, cookies, desserts
Cuisine American
Keyword bar cookies, Jammy Coconut Oat Bars, One Girl Cookies
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Resting Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
All About the Dough
1-1/4 cups(150g) all-purpose flour
3/4cup(150g) packed light brown sugar
1/3cup(67g) granulated sugar
12tablespoons(170g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1teaspoonsaltVery salt forward, decrease to 3/4 tsp. if desired
Add to Dough Crumble
3/4cup(85g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1-1/2 cups(148g) old-fashioned rolled oats
The Finish
1/2cupraspberry preserves or use your favorite preserves
Optional Adds
1/4-1/3cupdiced dried fruit that compliments the preserves you use
1/4-1/3cupsliced almonds or chopped nuts of your choice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spread the coconut on a baking sheet. Toast 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Keep your eye on it as coconut will brown quickly
Grease a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
In an electric mixer on low speed, mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and continue mixing until the dough begins to come together. Stir in the coconut and oats.
Remove 3/4-1 cup of the crust dough. Set aside. If adding optional ingredients remove 3/4 cup of crumble.
Pour the remaining dough to pan. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, I use a flat bottom cup to press dough into pan. Bake 14-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The crust should be golden brown around the edges. Allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes.
Spread the preserves evenly over the crust, leaving a scant 1/2-inch border. If you are adding nuts or dried fruit, sprinkle on preserves now then crumble the reserved dough over the top. Bake 7 minutes, or until the preserves are bubbly. Cool completely in pan.
Run a knife around the edges of the bars. Place a baking sheet on top of the pan and flip the pan over to release the bars. Peel the parchment paper off. Then flip again. Using a sharp knife, cut the bars into squares, which in a 9x13 won't be exactly squared, lol.
As I was driving home the other day I called the Hubster and asked “What’s for dinner?”. The retired guy replied, “I thought you were making dinner”. Excuse me? Moi? The person driving home after a full day at WORK?
Fine, I’ll make dinner but you are on cleanup…
A pack of spareribs, cut crosswise into thirds (thanks Asian market), a knob of ginger and bunch of scallions in the fridge-time to make Irene Kuo’s 12345 Spare Ribs from Food52. The rest of the ingredients are in my pantry, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine and sugar, that’s all I need. Oh, and my trusty Instant Pot.
I added the step of browning the ribs with ginger and scallions just to give it a flavor boost. Feel free to skip this step and start by putting the ribs and braising liquid in the instant pot without frying. Add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
Set time for 15 minutes and let your IP do it’s thing. Meanwhile make some rice and veggies, any greens will do nicely. Give it a couple of minutes before releasing the pressure on your IP. Remove ribs. switch to sauté and reduce sauce until it thickens to a syrupy consistency. Add the ribs back in and stir to heat and coat them with sauce.
Scoop rice into a bowl, top with the ribs and greens, and garnish with green onions. Enjoy!
Epilogue
Me? I headed to the couch, turned on the telly, and relaxed while the hubs did the dishes!
The ingredients for these ribs can be found in most Asian markets. Use Shaoxing Wine (Chinese Sherry) or dry sherry. Dark soy sauce has added molasses, don’t substitute regular soy sauce which is actually saltier than dark soy. Favorite brands include Koon Chun or Lee Kum Kee.
Adaptation of Irene Kuo's 1-2-3-4-5 Spare Ribs. Sweet, savory braised ribs, delicious with a bowl of rice. Using a pressure cooker will keep ribs moist and shorten the cooking time.
Course Drinks, Main Course, Meat
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Chinese
Keyword Instant Pot, spareribs
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 18 minutesminutes
Equipment
1 Pressure Cooker I use an Instant Pot
Ingredients
Fry It Up
1 1/2poundspork spareribsask the butcher to cut the slab of ribs crosswise into 3 pieces. You can cut them into individual ribs at home
1stalkscallion, cut into 3 inch lengthsoptional
2slicesfresh ginger, smashedoptional
Braising Liquid
1tablespoondry sherrypreferably Shao Xing Wine
2tablespoonsdark soy sauce
3tablespoonscider vinegar
4tablespoonssugar
5tablespoonswater
Garnish
1-2stalksgreen onions, sliced diagonally in 1/8-1/4" pieces
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
Set Instant Pot on saute'. Once heated add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Toss in ginger and scallions and saute' briefly (30 sec) then add spareribs. Fry until the ribs lose their pinkness.
Add braising liquid ingredients. When the liquid comes to a boil, stir well to coat the ribs, turn off saute function, and place lid on Instant Pot.
Set IP on high pressure (use Meat setting) and adjust time to 15 minutes. When it is done, wait a couple of minutes before CAREFULLY releasing pressure to your Instant Pot.
Remove ribs from pot. Set Instant Pot to saute' and reduce remaining liquid to a thick syrupy sauce. Turn it off and add ribs back into pot, stir to coat the ribs. Spoon ribs onto a serving plate.
Garnish with scallions. Serve immediately with rice.
Stovetop Directions
Put the ribs in a skillet or saucepan and set it over high heat; add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mingle. When the liquid comes to a boil, adjust heat to maintain a very gentle simmering, and cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir and turn the spareribs from time to time.
Uncover and turn heat high to bring the sauce to a sizzling boil; stir rapidly until the sauce is all but evaporated. Garnish with scallions. Serve hot with rice.
Notes
Using a pressure cooker not only shortens the cooking time but ensures tender and moist ribs.
Who else besides me groans at the first sign of the fall season. You walk outside, take in the fall air, admire the color of the leaves on the trees, the golden orange rays of sunlight that filter through…
When you notice
All around, everywhere you look…PUMPKIN, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin yogurt, pumpkin ice cream, yes, ALL THINGS PUMPKIN. There is no escape.
Consequently, aside from the mandatory Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, I have developed a slight aversion to pumpkin. This year, still cautious, we needed only one pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. So, what to do with the remaining pumpkin puree (Libby’s of course). I took a family poll, and it was a unanimous vote (except for me, lol) for pumpkin bread. Despite having numerous pumpkin bread recipes on 3Jamigos, I decided to do a search. The first recipe that popped up was Pumpkin Bread from Once Upon a Chef. Her family’s favorite, the recipe was given to her by her grandmother who had clipped it out of a magazine eons ago. With a 5-star rating and over two thousand ratings, this was a no-brainer.
The recipe reminded me of my Best Damn Banana Bread, instead of oil, the recipes call for butter. Hmmm, good start. The butter is combined first with sugar, it’s a lot of sugar, and the mixture will be crumbly not creamy so don’t keep beating it until the cows come home. Add eggs one at a time and combine thoroughly. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree. The mixture might look curdled or separated, but that’s ok.
BTW, the recipe calls for 16 ounces of pumpkin, std cans are 15 ounces 🤷🏻♀️. Don’t sweat the one ounce. If you happen to have some applesauce you need to use up, throw in a heaping tablespoon. I had some yummy apple butter so I threw that in. You’ll be fine skipping it. Don’t open another can of pumpkin purée! At low speed, add the flour. Mix just until combined. The batter will lose that grainy look. This is a pretty thick batter so you will need to scoop rather than pour it into your loaf pans. Divide between 2 8×4 loaf pans.
I mulled over adding a streusel topping but since this was the first time I was making it, I deferred. I’ve included a simple topping for those of us who cannot leave well enough alone.
Made another batch to take to work. Added the sugar topping from Midwest Made. Adds a bit of crunch.
This bread is delicious! It has a nice crumb, cake-like, not as tight as pumpkin bread made with oil. A nice balance of spices although I’m already tweaking it in my mind (less clove, add ginger) but totally good as is. One note, sift the dry ingredients together. I didn’t, and a few bites had too much clove.
I had forgotten how much I like pumpkin bread and how easy it is to make. This recipe is definitely going in the rotation!
Moist and delicious, best damn pumpkin bread recipe
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Pumpkin Bread, quick bread
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Servings 24servings
Calories 166kcal
Equipment
2-8x4 loaf pans
Ingredients
Da Dry Stuff
2cupsall-purpose flourspooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
1/2teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonground cloveor 3/4 tsp clove and 1/4 tsp ginger
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1teaspoonground nutmegcan substitute mace
Da Butter-Sugar
1-1/2sticksunsalted butter, softened3/4 cup
2cupssugar
Da Wet Stuff
2large eggs
1 15-1/2 oz can 100% pure pumpkin
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour, or use a baking spray with flour in it, such as Pam with Flour or Baker's Joy.
Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. It will be grainy not creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, a few minutes. Beat in the pumpkin. The mixture might look grainy and curdled at this point -- not to worry, flour to the rescue in the next step.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Do not overmix.
Turn the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking at 55 min. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
This bread freezes well. Eat one now and save another for a rainy day or surprise guests! Wrap well, you know the drill, and store for up to 3 months.Gotta have a topping? Check the ones out for these:
Place 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Dampen your fingertips with water and work them into the sugar until it just begins to look like snow-if you pinch some, it should just barely hold together. Sprinkle the dampened sugar over the batter, aiming to get it clumped up together in spots. If you want, add a 1/2-1 tsp of cinnamon.
Right before baking, sprinkle the batter in loaf pans with the nuts and finish with cinnamon sugar. Adds a bit of crunch.
We’re baaackkkkkkk! In person meetings, dinners in restaurants instead of take-out, classes on campus instead of on Zoom, we are adjusting to living with COVID. With midterms just around the corner, our political action group hosted a Democracy Dinner to re-engage and see folks in person. What better way to entice folks to join us than with food!
Dinner was outside, we live in California, where grillin and chillin is a distinct possibility 24-7-365. I stepped up to create a main dish and dessert for our Vegan dinner guests. The main dish was a no-brainer, Spicy Noodle Salad, vegan, plus perfect with whatever came off the grill, protein or veggie. The only glitch was the original recipe called for honey in the dressing. Made by bees, honey is on the no-fly list for vegans. I substituted Agave Syrup for the honey which worked seamlessly. Mission accomplished, onto dessert.
Pudding It All Together
The night of the last presidential elections, as I nervously watched the results roll in, I headed to the kitchen to make something to eat to calm my frayed nerves. I landed on NYTcooking’s recipe for a Chocolate Pudding made with Oat Milk. A snap to make, it was chilling in the fridge within minutes. Intensely chocolate, which appealed to my grown-up tastebuds, while the smooth, creamy texture of the pudding made me feel like a kid again. AND, it’s vegan, oh yeah. Dessert solved.
Nifty Thrifty Wow Factor
A layer of strawberry compote in between the chocolate pudding and a voluptuous coconut whipped cream on top gave the pudding a little more panache. I rationalized splurging on expensive French yogurt by repurposing those cute little glass yogurt jars for the pudding.
Whip It, Whip It Good
I LOVE whipped cream. So what’s a girl to do if she can’t have the perfect topping for vegan dessert? Coconut Milk to the rescue. A favorite vegan, gluten-free site, Minimalist Baker was ground zero for tips on how to make a delicious vegan whipped cream from coconut milk.
Start the day before you need whipped cream. Why? You need to chill the coconut milk to separate the cream from the liquid. You will be using the cream part only.
My two favorite brands of coconut milk are Chaokoh and Aroy-D. Having Aroy-D in my pantry, I placed a can in the fridge. The overnight chill in the fridge is key to creating two distinct layers. Aroy-D worked perfectly. Both brands are found in most Asian Grocery stores. Minimalist Baker likes Whole Foods 365 Coconut Milk, which might be more accessible.
Open the can, the solids will be on top, scoop all of the solidified coconut milk out and place in a chilled mixing bowl then place the coconut solids in a chilled bowl. Whip for 30 seconds then add powdered sugar and vanilla. I used 1/2 cup powdered sugar and it was pretty sweet. The range is 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup of sugar which you can to taste, definitely start with 1/4 cup and go from there. Beat an additional minute or until light and fluffy. Don’t overbeat as the cream will break down.
This is the perfect vegan substitute for regular whipped cream! But, it is so good I would make it even if I didn’t need a vegan alternative.
Ridiculously easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies,Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, like Fred and Ginger, a perfect pairing with Chocolate Puddin
To half of the puddings I added a layer of strawberry compote. Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, it’s easy and delicious. Think of it as additional bling.
A great vegan option for whipped cream, so good you may want to use this vegan or not!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Chill Time 1 dayday
Servings 4
Ingredients
114-ounce can coconut cream or full fat coconut milk* (Savoy Coconut Cream, Aroy-D Coconut Milk, and Nature's Charm Coconut Whipping Cream work best!)
1/4 - 3/4cupicing/powdered sugaruse organic to ensure vegan friendliness
1/2tspvanilla extractoptional
Instructions
Chill your coconut cream or coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight (see notes for top brands!), being sure not to shake or tip the can to encourage separation of the cream and liquid. See notes for more insight / troubleshooting.
The next day, chill a large mixing bowl 10 minutes before whipping.
Remove the coconut cream or milk from the fridge without tipping or shaking and remove the lid. Scrape out the top, thickened cream and leave the liquid behind (reserve for use in smoothies).
Note: if your coconut milk didn't harden, you probably just got a dud can without the right fat content. In that case, you can try to salvage it with a bit of tapioca flour - 1 to 4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)- during the whipping process. That has worked for me several times.
Place hardened cream in your chilled mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with a mixer until creamy. Then add vanilla (optional) and powdered sugar (or stevia) and mix until creamy and smooth - about 1 minute. Avoid overwhipping because it can cause separation. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
Use immediately or refrigerate - it will harden and set in the fridge the longer it's chilled. Will keep for up to 1 - 2 weeks!
Coconut whipped cream is perfect for topping desserts like pie, hot cocoa and ice cream. It's also ideal for french toast, pie fillings, mousse, and even no-churn ice cream!
Fresh strawberries in this topping for a quick, & easy topping that gives desserts that extra bling!
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword quick and easy, strawberries, strawberry sauce
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1Tablespooncornstarch
3Tablespoonscold water
1lbstrawberrieshulled and sliced in half
zest and juice from 1/2 small lemon
1/4cupgranulated sugar50g
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together until all the cornstarch has dissolved.
Place the cornstarch mixture, along with the rest of the ingredients, into a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the mixture as it cooks. Break up some of the strawberries as you stir.
Bring it to a simmer and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. After 5 minutes, remove pan from the heat and allow to cool. Add vanilla extract. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Finally, after months of being a COVID couch potato, I got off my duff and headed up to the reservoir to row again. I had forgotten how nice it was to be on the water in the early morning, to get in a shell, grip the oars, press with my legs, and propel the boat through the water. Gliding through the water I would catch glimpses of the resident bald eagles soaring then diving toward the water. I live for these moments…
Who Am I Kidding?
What I really look forward to is COFFEE after the row, lol. After every row, we head to our favorite spot for coffee and something to nosh on. Lately, that nosh has been a tasty apricot bar. It reminds me of an Apricot Oatmeal Bar I used to make when the kids were little…
The recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Kids Cookbook, that bar was a family favorite once upon a time. I decided to find it, dust it off, and make it again.
This is a naughty granola bar. The bars are buttery, sweet, tart, dense, and chewy with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Just packed full of yummy stuff and calories (intentionally made in smaller font, lol). Incredibly easy to make, all you need is a bowl and a spoon. Toss old-fashioned oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour into a large bowl. stir to combine, then add melted butter, vanilla, and chopped apricots. Add nuts too if you like.
Bake, cool, and cut. How easy is that? These bars are great after a hard workout, a long hike, or anytime!
1/4 - 1/3cupchopped nuts of your choice like almondspecans or pistachios (optional)
1cupall-purpose flour
1cupfirmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/4teaspoonground cinnamon
1 1/2teaspoonsvanilla extract
soft butter for greasing pan
Instructions
Melt 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter in the microwave. Cut butter into pieces and place in microwave-safe bowl. ?Cover with a small plate or paper towel ( I use the paper the butter comes in) and set power to 50%. Set time to 30 seconds. If butter is not completely melted, continue at 50% power and 15-20 second increments. Or place butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with a large piece of aluminum foil (some foil hanging over the edges is fine). Lightly grease the foil with the soft butter. YOu could also use parchment paper.
Cut apricots into about 1/2-inch pieces. (Use kitchen shears to snip apricots works like a charm)
In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a spoon or spatula until well blended and no lumps of sugar remain.
Add apricots, nuts if using, melted butter and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until well blended. The dough will be moist and crumbly. Dump the dough into the prepared baking pan. Press the dough into the pan with your fingers.
Bake until the top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven, set on a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
Lift the foil and the oatmeal bars from the pan and place on a work surface. Peel away the foil from the sides and bottom. Using a small, sharp knife, cut the big square into 1 1/2-by-3-inch rectangles. Store in an airtight container. Makes 18 bar cookies.
Notes
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma The Kid's Cookbook, by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Time-Life Books, 2000).
This past weekend the hubster went up to Tahoe to do maintenance on our cabin. So I was flying solo at home with Sammy our dog who has a tough time traveling 😢 these days.
When dinnertime rolled around, I decided to open a bottle of wine and make myself a nice meal. I had just seen Eric Kim’s recent post for NYTcooking, Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breast and being a Ritz Cracker fiend, I immediately bookmarked the recipe. This would be the perfect time to try his recipe.
Competitive Spirit
Aside from Carrot Cake and Good Cookies, if there is a meal that reigns supreme in our house, it is Wes’s Cornflake Chicken. To be exact, Cornflake Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup. How many of you remember your mom or dad fixing a version of this? Come on, be honest, we have all had this precursor to Shake and Bake. Instead of chicken perhaps pork chops? Gotcha, didn’t I?
Being a card-carrying member of the ridiculous group “I am a foodie” and thus holding an unwarranted disdain for all foods I liked when I was twelve, I have never made cornflake chicken. To this day, when the kids come home, they will request cornflake chicken or pork chops which Wes is more than happy to fulfill.
Could Eric’s version of chicken, marinated in sour cream, Dijon mustard and rolled in copious amounts of Ritz Crackers and Cheddar Cheese best the gold standard Cornflake Chicken? I was determined to find out.
Easy Peasy, Chicken Cheesy
The prep for this dish is as easy and quick as Cornflake Chicken. The chicken breasts are split in half and lightly pounded into cutlets then dropped into a marinade of Dijon mustard, salt, and sour cream which also tenderizes the chicken.
While the chicken marinates make your coating. Crush a sleeve of Ritz Crackers, grate some sharp cheddar cheese, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Next time I might just add more spices, maybe some paprika and thyme. Finish with a glug of olive oil, which will help the coating stick to the chicken and crisp it.
Roll chicken in crumb mixture, really pressing it in so you have a nice coat. If you have crumbs left, don’t waste them, sprinkle them on the chicken.
The chicken bakes at 450 (hot, hot, hot) and should only take about ten minutes (boneless, split in half, and pounded means quick cooking).
I made a salad of Romaine, ripe cherry tomatoes (thank you Snook), and Japanese cucumbers (very crispy and delicious) with a simple vinaigrette.
Sat down with a glass of wine and a gorgeous dinner plate in about 30 minutes. How great is that? Eric strikes again with another fabulous, easy, dish. The cracker coating was crispy, cheesy and tangy from the mustard, the chicken was perfectly cooked, moist, and tender and the salad a nice counterpoint.
I know what you are all thinking…does this beat out Wes’s Cornflake Chicken? Probably not. Nothing beats a dish from your childhood. Will I make it again? Absolutely!
I saved the last 2 pieces of chicken, one for Wes to judge, and one which made an amazing sandwich for lunch…yummos!
1tablespoonolive oilplus more for greasing wire rack
1/2teaspoondried thyme, paprika or chili powder optional
Instructions
Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it or use a brush. Place rack in oven to preheat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Set aside.
Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and smear the sour cream all over the chicken.
In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Leave some chunks, which will crisp up nicely in the oven. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil (add some thyme and or paprika, 1/2 t each if you like) . Season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed.
Hold chicken cutlet by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, press the crumbs onto the chicken to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. If you have leftover crumb mixture, sprinkle if on chicken before baking.
Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes (check at 10!!!). Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates.
At low speed, add the flour. Mix just until combined. The batter will lose that grainy look. This is a pretty thick batter so you will need to scoop rather than pour it into your loaf pans. Divide between 2 8×4 loaf pans.
