Cooking
Snickerdoodles
Sheltering in Place, a new phrase we coined during the COVID-19 pandemic will have many memories for all of us. I am trying to make fun and joy filled memories for my grandchildren so when they ask for Gammie to make a special recipe, I jump to it! Plus it is a great excuse for a Sunday drive to make a stop and drop (homemade soup and cookies) that includes a social distancing visit with some of the grandkids in their back yard. This week Sophie asked me if I had ever made Snickerdoodles. I hunted through my recipe files and found my well used and well loved recipe card for Snickerdoodles. Picky Ricky the Growing Weisser Food Critic of course had to give the cookies a taste test and he gave them a thumbs up!!!!!
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
COOKIE ROLLING COATING MIXTURE
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Mix butter and sugar and cream until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Sift and add flour, soda, cram of tartar and salt and add to cream mixture. Stir or beat until soft dough results. Chill dough for 30 minutes to a few hours. Make balls (1 teaspoon each makes 8-9 dozen, 1 Tablespoon each makes 3-4 dozen). Roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven-10 minutes for teaspoon sized balls and 16 minutes for tablespoon sized balls. Allow cookies to cool and enjoy. Cookies should be soft and chewy.
Sophie was super excited to taste the snickerdoodles!!!
Oat and Quinoa Granola Bar
During this time of “sheltering at home” you may find yourself with your stash of favorite granola bar disappearing quickly. Here is a DELICIOUS and fun to make granola bar that will have your kids asking for more. The awesome thing about this recipe is you can make it with all kinds of variations and it will always taste YUMMY.
Ingredients
1 ½ cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup quinoa
¾ cup raisins, dried cranberries or dried apricots coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped nuts
⅓ cup unsweetened coconut
2 Tablespoons chia seed or flaxseed
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
⅓ cup honey
½ cup creamy almond butter or natural peanut butter
¼ cup mini chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate
Spread oats and quinoa on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly brown. In a medium sized bowl mix baked oat/quinoa mixture and dried fruit, nuts, coconut, chia seed and chocolate. Place coconut oil, nut butter, honey and salt in a 2 cup microwave proof bowl or measuring cup and heat on high for 1 minute, stirring at 30 seconds. Pour nut butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined. Press into a 9 inch square or 10×7 inch pyrex coated with coconut or canola cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool and cut into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container and they last for 1 week. This is a great tasting, crunchy and full of fiber and protein. Have fun experimenting with different combinations of dried fruit and nuts. I made one batch with dark chocolate covered macadamia nuts and raisins and one batch with no nuts and mini chocolate chips.
Baked Falafel with Spicy Tahini Sauce
My husband and I are big fans of Falafel. We love traveling to Israel and we LOVE mediterranean food. When I found this recipe for baked falafels, I knew I had to try it!!! I looked at a few recipes and combined the best of the bunch and came up with this one. I absolutely loved the fact that I did not have to fry these and they came out crispy and spicy. The texture was great and the consistency was really good. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. This will become a regular addition to our list of favorites.
Baked Falafel
1 (15oz) can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 -4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh parsley (you can use ¼ cup dry parsley herbs)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon zatar or sumac
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoon oat flour or oat bran
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil on a cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Combine garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, oil, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, coriander. Salt and cayenne into a food processor or a Vitamix. Pulse until combined, do not pulse too long or it will be like hummus-you want it chunky. Mixture will be dry and chunky. Scoop out into a bowl, add the baking soda and oat flour and stir until combined. Form small patties with dough and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes and then flip each patty and then bake another 10-12 minutes. Serve with Pita bread, hummus, shredded cabbage or other greens, sliced cucumbers, carrots, avocado and any other veggies you would like. Spread some delicious spicy …
Carrot Cake-Old Fashioned from our Wedding
Believe it or not…this is the recipe we used for the cupcakes at our wedding in 1977. My Mom and many of her friends used this recipe to bake hundreds of carrot cake cupcakes for our special day. This is a tried and true recipe with room for healthy options without altering the delicious taste.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 ¼ cups oil (I used ½ cup applesauce and ¾ cups oil)
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots 9I used about 2 ½ cups)
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple with no sugar added, drained and reserve juice for frosting
¾ cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cube butter at room temperature
1 (8 oz) cream cheese at room temperature (you can use fat free or low fat cream cheese)
1 box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons reserve pineapple juice
Mix all dry ingredients together. Add beaten eggs, oil (applesauce), carrots, drained pineapple and nuts. Mix well by hand until well blended. Pour into greased 9×13 or three 9 inch rounds or a bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool thoroughly and frost with cream cheese frosting.
To make frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a kitchen aide and mix until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well adding just enough pineapple juice to get the consistency you want for your frosting. Frost the cake when completely cool.
InstantPot Best Vegetable Soup EVER
InstantPot Best Vegetable Soup Ever
Bethany and I try to cook together on Wednesday afternoons after I help with preschool. We modified a recipe we found online and made the BEST vegetable soup I have tasted in a long time AND we made it in the InstantPot. So, I tried to recreate it this week at my house and it was just as delicious. A perfect soup for a winter night and the grandkids LOVED it as well.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
I large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
3-4 celery stalks cup into chunks
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3-4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 cups cauliflower, cut into 2-inch pieces
1-2 cups broccoli, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
2 medium zucchinis cut into small chunks
2 yellow squash cut into small chunks
2 cups spinach leaves
½ cup fresh basil leaves
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
4 cups low sodium organic vegetable broth
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Chopped parsley for garnish
On sauté mode in your Instant Pot, stir olive oil, onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes stirring regularly. Add tomato paste and all the spices and stir until combined. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir. Lock the Instant Pot lid and cook on High pressure for 6 minutes. When timer finishes, immediately press the manual release steam vent valve to release all the pressure. (If you allow pot to release on its own the vegetables will continue to cook and get too mushy.) Open the lid and stir. Adjust seasonings. You can keep …
Read MoreCranberry Orange Torte
Today at my ladies Bible Study luncheon I served this cake. It is a traditional torte that I make during the holidays. Every time I make it people ask for the recipe, so here it is. Originally I learned this recipe from a dear friend who was my original hiking buddy years ago.I have made a few modifications, reducing the sugar and adding a few more dates and cranberries. You can substitute applesauce for the oil or do half coconut oil and half applesauce. Have fun making this delicious cake. It just might become one of your family traditions for the holidays.
Cranberry Orange Torte
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups flour
1 cup sugar (you can use ¾ if desired)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts
1-1 ½ cups chopped dates
2 cups whole fresh cranberries
2 large oranges (grate rind off both oranges and squeeze juice and save for glaze)
2 large well beaten eggs
1 cup buttermilk
¾ cups canola oil (you can use applesauce or coconut oil equivalent amounts or half and half with canola oil)
For glaze mix….
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
⅛-¼ cup sugar
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix in nuts, dates, cranberries and grated orange peel. In a separate smaller bowl combine well beaten eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Stir well and add to dry ingredients. Mix until thick dough forms. Pour into well greased Bundt pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Test with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean and cake is baked all the way through. Let cool until lukewarm. Turn out onto a serving platter and pour glaze over cake. Enjoy. This cake freezes very well …
Read MoreCooking with Toddlers-Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Soup
This week, Gammie had the privilege of cooking dinner for 2 different households with 2 of my precious grandkids! Garrett and I tried a new recipe called Moroccan Lentil Soup. The original recipe was taken from a soup magazine published by Eating Well. We tweaked the recipe a bit and it was DELICIOUS!!!
Ingredients
1 ¾ cups green or brown lentils
2 cups chopped onions
2 cup chopped carrots
5 cloves garlic crushed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
6 cups vegetable broth (you may use low sodium chicken broth)
2 cups water
3 cups chopped cauliflower
1 (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups fresh spinach
½ cup fresh cilantro
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
In a crockpot, combine chopped onions, carrots, garlic, olive oil, and spices. Stir thoroughly. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir until combined.
Cook in Crockpot on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours. Add spinach and cook 30 minutes longer on High. Serve in large bowls with cilantro garnish and lemon juice.
This soup is more like a stew and is great for a hearty dinner with a salad and a pice of crusty bread or some Pita or Naan bread.
Garrett and I had such a fun time chopping and stirring and measuring together. The soup was wonderful and extra delicious because we made it together. Cooking with toddlers is a BLAST!
InstantPot Apple Butter-Finding a FAST and EASY way to make Apple Butter
If you have followed our blog for any time at all you know I am PASSIONATE about giving homemade gifts and one of my favorite holiday gifts to give is Apple Butter. I love spending a whole day with one of my dear friends, Sally…but this year we are both busy with our wonderful grandkids. Today I tried making a batch of apple butter in my InstantPot and it was FAST, EASY and DELICIOUS. Not that fast an easy can ever take the place of a fun day with my friend BUT for this year it is a nice alternative.
10-12 large apples (5 pounds)
¾ cup Trader Joes Spiced Apple Cider
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
One of the BEST things about this recipe is you DO NOT HAVE TO PEEL the apples.
Get out your InstantPot and cut large apples into 4 pieces leaving the peel on but discarding the core. Place all apples into InstantPot. Pour in apple cider and add brown sugar, spices and salt. Save th lemon juice until after the apples are cooked.
Put top on InstantPot with vent closed. Set on Manual for 15 minutes. When finished, let naturally vent for 15 minutes and then release the rest of the steam. While apples are cooking make sure to sterilize your jars and tops. When apples are finished, open the top and use an immersion blender to grind up the skins and pulverize the apples. Ladel the apple butter into jars and seal. If you do not seal in the hot apple butter, you must refrigerate and use within 10 days. Once sealed the apple butter will last for months. You can also freeze the apple butter if you can not …
Brussels Sprouts Harvest Salad-try a new recipe on my Bucket List
One of the things I continually keep on my bucket list is trying new recipes. This one caught my eye because we love cruciferous vegetable like brussels sprouts and cauliflower. This recipe has both. I will serve this next time we have friends over. Picky Ricky gave this a 5 star rating! It is a keeper…..
Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken deboned, skinned and shredded
2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
1 pound brussels sprouts trimmed and shredded
½ cup toasted pecans
¼ cups dried cherries, raisins or cranberries
¼ cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Dressing
6 Tablespoons olive oil
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons grainy mustard
½ teaspoon each seas salt and ground pepper
½ teaspoon sriracha or your choice of hot sauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cut up sweet potatoes and cauliflower with !/8 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and place on parchment lined baking sheet with sides. Mix shredded brussels sprouts with remaining ⅛ cup olive oil and salt and pepper. Place brussels sprouts on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment. Place vegetables in oven. Roast brussels sprouts for about 15 minutes until just barely cooked (still crunchy) and the roast the pan of sweet potatoes and cauliflower for 25-30 minutes. While vegetables roast debone and skin rotisserie chicken and cut into chunks of shred. Make dressing by mixing all ingredients together at the bottom of a large bowl. Put all shredded chicken into bowl and toss around. Place all roasted vegetables on top stir all together. Serve hot or cold. You can serve over rice or quinoa. We loved the flavors and the textures of the different vegetables. …
Read MoreFarm to Table Dinner with Dear Old Friends
Bucket list items that involve getting together with long ago friends are often very difficult to implement. So, when about 8 girlfriends from our Elementary and High School days found a date that worked, we put it on our calendars and a beautiful afternoon and evening of food, fellowship and fun ensued.
I offered to come over the day before to the beautiful location where we would be gathering. My friend, who was hosting had a menu planned and the two of us went to town. We shopped at a lovely Farmer’s Market and visited a few specialty shops in her town to find just the right ingredients. We prepared all the parts of the meal that could be done the day before and then we went on a lovely walk and talked until bedtime. We did have a delicious meal together that first night but with the anticipation of all the “farm to table” food that we would be preparing and eating the next day we kept that dinner fairly simple. The next morning we arose early, dashed out for the last minute items we needed and began our preparations. We had so much fun cooking together.
As the saying goes…”A picture is worth 1,000 words” so here is our story in pictures…
The appetizers were local cheeses, farm fresh vegetables and fruits and an artichoke bake. For dinner, we made unique salads with figs, melon, herbs and a lemon thyme dressing, a caprice salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes, a lemon herb baked salmon and hot sourdough bread form a local bakery. Dessert featured fresh peach, berry cobbler. We had a glorious time feasting on delicious and nutritious food and reminiscing about “the good ole’ days”
Bucket list item checked off the list-new memories made and wonderful times of …
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