A Bountiful Harvest . . . Although I Didn't Grow It Myself

You can see how big these pumpkins are when a 3 and 5 year old are sitting on them.

Each year, our girls want to stop and buy pumpkins at Bates Nut Farm which is not far from our house, but during the month of October, the road going to and from Bates has an insane amount of traffic.  They have fields of very large pumpkins called "Big Macs" and several years ago, we bought one for $10 which was a steal considering the pumpkin was about 75 lbs.  Over the past few years, however, the price has gone up to $1.00 a pound.  My hubby, however, was biding his time and decided to stop by the day after Halloween to see if there was a deal on these monster pumpkins.  As it turns out, the Big Macs were free for the taking if you could manage to wrangle it into your vehicle (minus the wheelbarrows that are out during October).  I ended up being the happy recipient of three Big Mac pumpkins, which is a lot of free food. 

One of the 3 Big Macs my hubby brought home.

I have heard many people over the years say that you can't eat the big pumpkins, but I can tell you from experience that is definitely not true.  The Big Macs are not super sweet, but they are in the squash family and have a lovely taste once they are baked and pureed.  The meat from this pumpkin can be used in everything from pumpkin soup to pumpkin muffins and pie.  Yum!

Part of the pumpkin after cutting up and baking much of it.

The beautiful pumpkin puree.

Vegan Zucchini Muffins

This is the time of the year for squash, zucchini, and pumpkins.  I love zucchini muffins, so I adapted my favorite banana muffin recipe for zucchini and they turned out great! 

Karlie's Vegan Zucchini Muffins

 

1 medim-size zucchini, skin on, grated

 

1/2 c. applesauce

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mix

 

1 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

 

1 c.  white, whole wheat flour (I get mine at Trader Joe's)

 

1/2 c. granulated sugar

 

1/8 c. of very warm water whisked together with 1 rounded Tablespoon of Ener-G egg replacer; whisk until it is fluffy and thick

 

 

Mix the above ingredients together either by hand or on low on the Kitchen Aid.

 

Sprinkle 1 tsp. baking soda over the batter.

 

Pour 4 Tbsp. of warm water over the baking soda and let it mostly dissolve. 

 

Mix the batter together gently one more time.  Mix in walnuts or pecans at the very end, if desired.

 

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, or until a inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

 

Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Baking with just plant-based foods can be tricky at times and has required quite a bit of experimentation on my part.  Sometimes, a recipe turns out really well, though, and is worth sharing.  Livia, our 5-year-old, wanted to make some cookies yesterday afternoon, so I decided to modify a "Crisco" peanut butter cookie recipe ( I like Crisco for the occasional piecrust, because it turns out so flaky, but otherwise, it isn't a fat I would recommend for baking). 

Karlie's Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 c. creamy, all-natural peanut butter
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. applesauce
1 c. loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white, granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. soymilk (or other dairy-free milk)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/8 c. of very warm water + 1 Tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer (beat together until it is the consistency of very stiff egg whites)
1 c. white, all-purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (or less, if desired)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine peanut butter, coconut oil, applesauce, brown and white sugars, soymilk, vanilla, and egg replacer mixture in a large bowl.  Whisk together until thoroughly combined.  Combine flours, baking soda, and salt.  Add all at once to the wet mixture and stir together with a spoon until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet (or put parchment paper on the cookie sheet and give it a light spray with canola oil cooking spray).  Flatten slightly in a crisscross pattern with tines of a fork.  Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 8-9 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown.  Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.  Remove cookies to cooking racks to cool completely.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies (depending on the size of cookie).

Note:  Vegan chocolate chips mixed in at the end before baking would be wonderful in this recipe.  (I didn't have any on hand, or I would have put them in this time around.) 

This was super easy to make, bake, and the whole family loved them.  We'll definitely be making these cookies again!

Mini Pizzas on the Go

We have pizza night at our house on a regular basis.  Eating a plant-based diet has not changed our pizza tradition, either.  We use our homemade 1/2 whole wheat dough, pizza sauce, and pile on the veggies for a full and satisfying pizza, and occasionally we will buy a vegan cheese for a little extra something on our pizza.  We like the Daiya mozzarella-style shreds, and we also tried the Follow Your Heart block of mozarella-style vegan cheese and that was pretty nice on pizza, too.  I while back, I was reading a magazine or on the internet and came across the idea to make mini pizzas in muffin tins.  I made them this way several times last spring during softball season when we needed a  meal that was portable and could be taken on the go.  Unlike a usual, messy pizza slice, these little mini pizzas are very manageable and much less messy if you need to take them in the car.  The girls also just like to eat them at home, too, because it is a variation on the usual pizza theme.

I spray my muffin tins with a spray canola oil before putting the pizza dough into the tins to avoid sticking.  Then, I grab a small ball of dough and stretch it with my fingers into a small circle.  Fit the circle into each hole of the muffin tin.

Then, spread a small amount of your desired pizza sauce (many times, this is marinara at our house) on each  circle.  Top the way that you like.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until the crust is baked through and the ingredients look done.

The kid's favorite, olive pizza.

The parents' version, with lots of veggies.

Yum!

May Photo A Day 5/30/13

"Tool"





A Family Favorite for Dinner

Making pizza at home has been a favorite for our family since the kids were tiny.  At first, I would pick up pizza dough from Trader Joe's in a bag and use that, but after a while, I wasn't loving the taste of the crust that much and thought I could probably do better at home.  I started using a pizza crust recipe from one of my bread machine cookbooks and the recipe is a real winner (my bread machine gets most of its use just for making dough because I prefer to bake my breads in the oven, but even so it is useful for dough making).  I modified the recipe because I like to use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose unbleached flour instead of all white flour like the original calls for.  Here is the recipe:

2 lbs. of pizza dough  -  Add ingredients to the bread machine bowl in the order you see them.
Usually makes 3 medium-sized pizzas.
(This recipe can be made, also, in a Kitchen Aid mixer; after mixing and kneading for about 2 minutes with the machine, just leave it covered and in a warm place and let it rise for about an hour before using.)

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbl. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tsp. dry yeast

Over the years, our eating habits have changed.  I used to, easily, use a whole pound of mozzarella in one night of pizza making.  And, of course, we loved to put pepperoni and Italian sausage on our pizza along with lots of other toppings.  Now, we don't eat meat, dairy, or eggs.  When we decided to eat a vegan diet at home, I wondered if our pizza days were behind us and determined to keep the tradition alive even without some of the more usual pizza ingredients.  I have found the key to making a great vegan pizza is to make sure you have plenty of toppings on it.  Honestly, I don't even miss the cheese anymore and like a base of spinach or other greens on the bottom just as much.  My girls still request pizza night just as often and love it with whatever toppings we happen to have on hand that day.  Here was one of our recent pizzas.

Persimmon Pie

Once again, I was inspired by my friend's use of persimmons and decided to copy her (thanks for the great idea, Janene!).  She posted a picture of her persimmon cranberry pie.  I happened to have fresh cranberries on hand, so I made this same pie, too.

Yum!

 I just treated the persimmons like apples; I peeled them and sliced them in long, thinner slices.  Then, to be sure that the persimmons were soft enough since they were semi-firm to the touch, I put my sugar, persimmons, cranberries, cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon juice in a saucepan and gently simmered them until the persimmons were just soft.  After I took it off the heat, I mixed in 1/3 cup of flour and poured the filling into the pie crust.  I baked the pie at 400 degrees F for about 50 minutes, until the filling was just bubbling and the crust was golden brown.  The whole family was thrilled with the results! 

Plentiful Persimmons

In my area here in So.Cal., persimmons abound this time of year.  I tried them a couple of years ago and I wasn't a huge fan.  They are very sweet, but don't have a particularly distinctive flavor to me, so I figured they weren't really worth my time.  That was until a good friend came over to my house with her canning supplies to make persimmon preserves from the persimmons in her own yard.  This gave me a chance to re-evaluate the uses of persimmons and I've since realizes that they are very versatile.  Because they aren't that distinctive in taste, they remind me of tofu in their quality of being able to be a blank slate that you write your own flavors on and then enjoy.  Since, our preserve canning session, I have been using persimmons in many different ways and seeing them with new eyes.  To combat one of my biggest persimmon dilemmas, which is that they go from just ripe to overly ripe at lightning speed, I included the mushy persimmons in a fruit leather/homemade fruit roll-up recipe that I found online.  They are absolutely perfect for the job because they are nice and sweet and ready to blend when they are that ripe. 
Here is the link to the page where I found this recipe.  Scroll down to the recipe for Strawberry Fruit Leather and click the link there for the full recipe.  http://goop.com/journal/make/196/small-bites

This fruit leather recipe is really very easy.  It looks like a smoothie when blended. My two tips are: (1) try and spread the mixture as evenly as possible on the parchment paper, and (2) check it regularly so as not to over-bake them.  My first try was so crispy that they turned out as fruit chips instead of fruit leathers.  This is such a great way to use fruit that is just a little bit too ripe to be easily be eaten by your kids.  My last batch included pears, persimmons, a guava, and mixed berries.  I like to put in at least a 1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries in each batch because the girls like the taste it gives the fruit leathers. 


The fruit leather just stays on the parchment paper, you roll it up, and then either tie it or tape it in a roll.



The fruit leather after it comes out of the oven.

 

Our First Vegan Birthday Cake

Since changing the way we eat, I am re-learning how to bake using very little fats and oils while also eliminating eggs, butter, and dairy.  Tuesday was my hubby's 34th birthday and I found a recipe for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in the McDougall's book, The Starch Solution.  The recipe looked easy enough to make and I had Augustus pick up a few ingredients that I didn't have on hand at Trader Joe's on Monday.  Also, the recipe called for a 8 X 8 pan, which I have, but doesn't look very festive.  So, instead I used a bundt pan and it came out beautifully.  The girls loved the results and were happy to see that birthday baking is still alive and well in our household.  So, yay, to our first delicious and successful vegan birthday cake!  I know there will be many more to come.

Ready to begin!

About to go in the oven.

The finished product.

Happy Birthday!

All my favorite people.

Oil-Free, Vegan, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of our all-time, family favorites for breakfast is a banana muffin recipe that I have been using for years.  My mom made these for us as kids and we always loved them, and I continued the tradition with my children.  Lately, I've been tinkering with the recipe to make it not only vegan and fairly healthy, but to also preserve the taste we love and get the texture as close to a "regular" muffin as possible.  This morning when I made them for breakfast, we all agreed that they tasted great and were what we expect out of our banana muffin recipe.  So, I had better get this down on "paper" before I forget what exactly it was that I put in them this morning.

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together in a bowl by hand or on the lowest mixing setting of a stand mixer:
3 mashed, ripe bananas
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 portion of egg replacer equal to 1 egg*

After these ingredients are mixed together, sprinkle over the top of the dough:
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Pour 1/4 cup of sparkling water over the soda and powder so that they are mostly dissolved and the mixture is bubbling a bit.  Mix it all together again, mixing as little as possible.  Add in the amount of vegan chocolate chips that you desire and mix very gently one last time (or fold them in gently with a spoon).  I use the semi-sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joe's that have no dairy in them.

Fill 12 muffin tins with the muffin batter and bake between 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  (There is not oil in the recipe, but I do lightly grease my muffin tins or muffin cups before filling them.  Using either silicone muffin tins or non-stick muffin tins is also a good option.)

*A friend gave me a good tip for the egg replacer and that is to make sure the water is very hot (not boiling) before mixing in the powder.   For the Ener-G replacer the formula is 2 Tbs. of water to 1 1/2 tsp. powder. 

Truly, Guilt-Free Tortilla Chips

A favorite snack in our house is tortilla chips with salsa and/or homemade bean dip.  The dilemma, though, is that store-bought tortilla chips are not all that nutritious (despite the whole-grain corn status that they have) because of the oil content.  While looking through the McDougall's recipes, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this super simple and easy solution to store-bought tortilla chips.  And, the results are wonderful, too, because they come out crispy, taste great, and make the idea of nachos at home (at least, vegan nachos) a healthy and fun dinner and snack alternative.  I also love that the tortillas chips are a whole-grain starch!  Here is the process:

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  We like the Guerrero brand of white corn tortillas.  I stack a few up and use my kitchen scissors to cute them into triangles (I divide the tortilla in sixths).  Then, I lay them flat on a non-stick, ungreased cookie sheet and put them into the oven.  The other day, I made these and used three cookie sheets, rotating them in the oven with 2 in and 1 ready-to-go.  

Here they are about half finished baking.

 Bake the chips for approximately 5 to 7 minutes (a few minutes more may be needed depending on your oven), just until the chips start turning a very light brown and are crispy.  Also, you can sprinkle salt on before or after, if so desired (I think the salt sticks better put on before baking).  

 And there you have it!  Tortilla chips with no oil that are still crispy and taste great with your salsas and dips.  If all the chips do not get eaten, just be sure to store them in an airtight container.    Who knew eating healthfully could be so delicious!

In A Pinch . . .

. .  .  of the baking sort.

Before I start a recipe, I'll usually scan to see that I have all the major ingredients on hand.  But, when it comes to the usual ingredients such as baking soda and baking powder, I pretty much assume that they will be there in the cupboard when I need them.  Lately, though, my cupboards have been getting somewhat bare on the essentials; I do this on purpose to clean out a bit before summer vacation, but it has the effect of forcing myself to improvise in a pinch.  My hubby and I enjoy watching various cooking competition shows together and the contestants usually have wonderful ingredients at their fingertips and a variety of items that are practically impossible for the average person to keep in stock in their own pantry at all times.  Despite this, the art of improvisation is still necessary because inevitably, a team member will forget to buy something at the grocery store for them, time will be close to running out, or their idea will be about to fall through. 

Well, this morning, I had to improvise, as well, and quickly, because I was making the girls muffins for breakfast before they left for school.  First of all, I didn't have 3 bananas; I only had 2.   So, I substituted a ripe pear for 1 of the bananas which worked just fine (I've also used applesauce in this situation or pumpkin puree when coming up short on the banana count).  Next, though, I realized that I was all out of baking soda, the key leavening agent in my muffins, and I had only about 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda left in the cupboard.  So, of course, I got immediately googled about this problem to see if there was a quick fix.  Here was a handy baking soda and baking powder substitution article I found. 
http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodchemistryfaqs/f/powdersoda.htm 
 As I didn't really have as much baking powder as I needed to make the muffins rise properly, though, at the last minute I threw in an extra egg white (there is already 1 egg in the recipe) to try and fluff up the muffins some, too.  Thankfully, my banana chocolate chip muffins turned out really well and I don't think the family would have even known the difference had I not mentioned it; as it was, the girls ate them up in record time and still got off to school in the nick of time.

For the Love of Bread

Challah made with brioche dough.

When my friend, Janene, lent me a book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I was a bit skeptical.  I love to bake my own bread and have had good success with making baguettes and Italian loaves from a recipe that start by making the dough in my bread machine and involves a few more steps thereafter.  This takes about 3 or 4 hours from start to finish, but since I'm at home this works just fine for me.  This book, on the other hand, is based around the creation of doughs that are high in moisture and don't require kneeding, punching, or multiple rises.  I started by making the master recipe from the book and it turned out really well.  So well, in fact, that I couldn't tell any difference between it and the regular bread recipes that I had been using.  Since then, I've tried several more recipes, all with great results and very little effort on my part. 

Basically, you just mix up the dough and let it rise for a couple of hours.  After that, you can either use the dough right away or just store it in the fridge in a non-airtight container for quite some time and use it when it is convenient.  When you take it out of the fridge, a quick stretching and molding of the loaf is needed and then it is left to rise for a bit.  Then, it is off to the oven.  This type of bread-making definitely cuts down on prep time, the mess of mixing a new batch of dough every time you want another loaf, and the time involved in letting bread rise (a great way for those that work outside the home during the day to still be able to eat fresh, homemade bread for dinner).  This is one book that I will be purchasing for myself and I will continue to use these bread recipes.  I even got a little more creative the other day and added my own sourdough starter to the "master recipe" (that makes a baguette or boule type of loaf) and the sourdough loaf that came of it was one of the best I've ever made.  The crust was crunchy and the crumb inside was chewy, soft, and tasty. 

If you are curious about this book and high-moisture doughs, the website for it is found here:  http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

The Pace of our World

Recently, we changed cell phone companies and for the last couple of days I have been on the phone with customer service people to resolve cell phone problems and cancel other phone service that we had.  Of course, hardly anyone can believe that we don't want smart phones and don't text message  . . . ever.  It's not that I'm against technology; in fact, I'm make use of it right now by blogging.  I engage in my share of surfing the Web, e-mailing, talking on the phone, and doing internet transactions and I appreciate the convenience that this affords me from my job of stay-at-home-Mommy.  But, as I was reminded in a discussion at Bible study a couple of weeks ago, there can be a real sense of disconnect for many of us due to the use of technology.  Where we might have stopped by the neighbor's house with a baked good or made a hospital visit in the past, now we wonder if this is still relevant.  It is easy to get caught up in the use of technology and make it a replacement for actual human contact.  It also easy to make excuses and think that everyone will feel inconvenienced by a visit, a phone call (instead of a text), or by the offer of a helping hand . . . and in some cases that may be true.  But, my challenge to myself and to others as well is to take the risk of being old-fashioned.  Try doing something meaningful that may be outside your comfort zone and see what the result is; the worst is that you may have an awkward moment or experience the lack of appreciation, but the opposite may also come true.  Several friends of mine (as well as myself) are taking up the challenge to make handmade gifts this year.  I have been baking and trying to spread the wealth a bit to family and neighbors.  And this week, I am challenging myself to write several handwritten notes and send them in the mail.  In this electronic age, I think it is even more fun to receive a piece of snail-mail because it comes so rarely.  There is just something (at least for me) about seeing a note in someone else's own handwriting and knowing that it took a bit of time and thought to put that specific note in the mail for me.  I will do the best to meet my goal in the next few days and take the risk of being old-fashioned once in a while (or maybe more than once in a while).

Easiest Cookie Recipe Ever! . . . at least I think so.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies - Yum!

I was able to make a batch of these from start to finish in about 20 minutes, that includes baking time.  For a quick after-school treat, this is a real winner.  It is a true 1-bowl recipe that the kids can memorize and make themselves.  I always like to add chocolate chips to it, too!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/community/recipe-exchange/UserRecipeDisplay.aspx?group_id=1&user_recipe_id=135871

Paris on my Mind, Part 2

Ah, the taste of a warm baguette just bought from the boulangerie down the street from our rented apartment as we walked back to it from a long day of sight-seeing - a crunch as you bite into it with a soft warm inside that has the ultimate, perfect bread flavor.  And then, proceeding up the stairs, sitting down at the small dinette set with a pat of delicious French butter and a jar of Nutella and eating most of the remaining baguette right then and there. 

Of course, I realize that part of the wonderful experience of eating baguette's while in Paris was very much influenced by my surroundings and my overall enjoyment of the place in which I was vacationing.  But, nonetheless, there is a big difference between the taste of a baguette (even farther still the "french bread") that can be bought in the average (and even not-so-average) grocery store here in the U.S. and the product that is so common place in any bakery in France.  Based on this baguette experience and my dissatisfaction with the baguettes to be found here locally, I set out to bake my own with quite a bit of trepidation.  I am happy to report, though, that so far the results have been quite satisfying and not nearly as scary as anticipated. 

Baking in the oven.

I've never really baked a bread that needed an egg wash, or in this case an egg yolk/water wash, but now that I have used it, I understand its purpose.  The egg wash gives the bread that wonderful golden brown color and cruchcy texture on the outside.

The finished product - hot and ready to eat.

I am still honing my baguette baking skills and would like the outside to retain its cruchy-ness for longer, but other than that I think this is a pretty darn good tasting piece of bread and a start of a tasty family tradition.  My daughter Selah (#2) has even declared that Mommy's baguette's are better than the ones bought in the bakery and that is a good enough seal of approval for me.

Wordless Wednesday 2-2-11

Quick, but Homemade: school mornings' breakfasts

Growing up in Panama with very few ready-made food items at our disposal (like Eggos, Pop Tarts, Aunt Jemima, etc.), I grew very accustomed to eating homemade breakfasts almost every morning that were delicious and got us ready for school.  Aside from food being an item that provides "comfort", I think more importantly, it can communicate love and care to us which is why so many people have warm memories of cooking, baking, and sharing in meals with love ones over the years.  At least, this is true for me and the memories of my childhood.

So, when it comes to getting my girls ready for school in the morning, I try to give them a good, nutritious breakfast.  Some days this is nothing more than a bowl of oatmeal, or a bowl of yogurt and a piece of toast.  But, very frequently, I try to whip up something tasty to give the girls a good and cheery start to the morning.  Of course, my trusty and no-fail banana muffin recipe is high on the list of items I prepare, as are waffles.  Now that we have an electric griddle that can cook about 6 pancakes at once, pancakes are coming back with a storm because I can keep up with everyone's appetites more easily.  Scrambled eggs with toast or tortillas is another tasty and easy breakfast.  And then, I try and serve a fresh fruit to the girls each morning, as well.

This morning I made chocolate chip muffins which were a big hit.  Muffins tend to be one of my favorite fast morning recipes because they take such little time to mix up and bake quickly; and, if we are running late to school, then they are portable and can be eaten on the go.  The recipe that I made this morning is a real winner and it comes out of my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (which, in fact, isn't very new anymore; this version is copyrighted in 1976).  I found this cookbook in a thrift store the first year that we were married; I had been looking for a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 70's because that is what my mom had when I was growing up.  So, when I found the Better Homes and Garden version, I snapped it up.  They are comparable and have recipes for a lot of basics and all from scratch. 

Best-Ever Muffins

1 3/4 cups sifted (I never sift it) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 well-beaten egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

Sift dry ingredients into bowl (again, I don't sift and they turn out great); make well in center.  Combine egg, milk, and oil.  Add all at once to dry ingredients.  Stir quickly just till dry ingredients are moistened.  Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes (This may vary depending on your oven; about 17 1/2 minutes is perfect in my convection oven, but it is very efficient).  Makes 10 (or you can probably stretch it to 12).  

Add-ins 

The great part about this recipe is that you can tweek it to make pretty much any variation you can think of.  Some ideas are:  1 cup of blueberries; 1/2 to 2/3 cup chocolate chips; raisins; dried cranberries; nuts; cinammon; orange zest; lemon zest; poppy seeds; you  name it.  Just get creative and play around a little. 

No Bake Cookies

Yesterday, Arianna and I decided to make a batch of no-bake cookies together.  Baking is a hobby that I thoroughly enjoy, find relaxes me, and I derive much pleasure from baked goods that taste great and that others can enjoy.  I like to bake at many different skill levels (from easy to complicated), but as a mom of five, I have difficulty finding the time to enter into very long, drawn out recipes that are time sensitive and require much care.  If the baby wakes up in the middle of baking and needs to be breastfed, or my toddler has a meltdown, or one of the other children needs help with something, then a big baking project may have to be abandoned in the middle and who knows what the result will be after that.  For this reason, I hold a special place in my heart for easy but tasty recipes that fit into a busy schedule, but still fit the bill of being homemade and tasting like they are homemade.  This recipe for no-bake cookies is one that I wrote down in my first personal cookbook when I was very young, probably in elementary school.  It came from my mom's friend, Nancy Mankins, and my mom used to make it all the time when we were growing up.  This recipe is a fun one to make with children because the directions are simple and easy-to-follow.  It does involve the stove and hot chocolately syrup, though, so adult help and supervision is a must.  These cookies are affectionately called "Globs" because you put a glob of the mixture on a cookie sheet and then it hardens up.

Globs

2 c. sugar                            1/2 c. milk

3 Tbsp. cocoa pwd.           1/2 c. margarine or butter (1stick)

Put this all in a saucepan, melt together, boil it for 3 minutes, then remove from the stove.  Whisk it periodically.

Quickly stir in:

1/2 c. peanut butter

2  2/3 c. uncooked oatmeal (I use quick oats, but rolled oats will also work - they will make the cookies chewier, though)

1 tsp. vanilla

Drop by large spoonfuls on waxed paper; let set (usually this will take a couple of hours, but they do taste good warm and falling apart, especially over vanilla ice cream).

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

A Delectable Delight

Are you looking for a dessert that is easy to make, tastes great, turns out every time, and is a good choice for when you have guest over?  This is just the sort of recipe that I am always on the look-out for and love to make.  A few years ago, I started to receive a free food magazine from Kraft Foods that, of course, shamelessly promoted their own products, but also included many easy and tasty recipes for every day cooking.  It was in one of these magazines that I saw the recipe for the Molten Chocolate Cakes.  Beings this sort of dessert is a hot item on many restaurant menus, I thought that I would try my hand at making these cakes at home.  I'm a huge chocolate fan, so this is right up my ally.  From the first time I made them, until present (just a couple of days ago when guest were over), the recipe has never failed me.  

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/molten-chocolate-cakes-69182.aspx

A few additional tips if you do try this recipe:

-  I like to use greased glass custard dishes or porcelain ramekins for these cakes.

-  I like to use darker chocolate than the semi-sweet that is called for in the recipe.  Nestle Chocolatier Baking Bars are a nice alternative and can be found in the baking aisle of your grocery store.

-  Although these cakes taste good with whipped cream, my personal favorite is to serve them with vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream.  

-  I follow the time in the oven religiously.  I like mine on the gooey side, so I only leave them in the oven for 13:00 minutes; and, cooling in the custard cups 1:00 minute before running the knife around them and inverting them on the dessert bowl/plate.