Book Group Treats!

I forgot to mention in my book group post that I made some awesome treats for our monthly meeting.

It was one of our members' birthday, so I made a Cherry Pudding Cake (without the trace of pudding).  It's a recipe I make quite often (originally found in a Weight Watchers magazine).  It's fool proof and YUMMY!

Topping:

1/3 c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3tbsps butter, chilled

Cake:

1 package of white cake mix (I used Pillsbury)

3/4 c water

3/4 c applesauce

2 eggs

1 (20oz) can light cherry pie filling

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare 9x13 baking pan with non stick spray.
2. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a bowl; mix with pastry blender or fork, until crumbly.  Set aside.
3. With electric mixer on low, beat cake mix, water, applesauce, and eggs in a large bowl for about 30 seconds.  Increase speed to medium and mix for about 2 minutes.  Pour batter into pan; spoon pie filling evenly over top of cake mixture; sprinkle topping mixture over pie filling.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

My next treat is from Southern Living -- Loaded Baked Potato Dip.  They recommend serving this with waffle fries (found in the frozen potato aisle), but I knew they wouldn't travel well (nor did I have an oven to prepare them on site), so I served it with "dip" Fritos and veggie Ritz Crackers -- still really good!  This would also be great scooped on a baked potato!!!

1 (2.1 oz) package of fully cooked bacon slices

1 16 oz container of sour cream

2 cups (8oz brick) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 c of green onions

2 tsp hot sauce or Tabasco

Microwave bacon according to package directions until crisp; drain on paper towels.  Cool 10 minutes; crumble or chop; stir together back and next 4 ingredients.  Cover and chill 1-24 hours before serving.  May be stored in frig for up to 7 days.

(This was the first time I've ever used pre cooked bacon and it worked great --- kept from "stinking" up my kitchen.  But to save money, you can easily fry bacon and prepare it as described.  But not having to clean up was great!)

ENJOY!

Cherry-Walnut Crumb Cake Recipe - Christmas Brunch Recipes





I made this for Christmas Eve dinner...it was delicious!  And a perfect treat for breakfast tomorrow!

Cherry-Walnut Crumb Cake Recipe By Woman's Day Kitchen from Woman's Day


Active Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour Recipe Ingredients

Cooking spray, for the pan

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1 cup walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

1⁄4 cup canola oil

1⁄4 cup water

3 large eggs

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 10-in. tube pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and stir with a fork until crumbly; fold in the walnuts. Transfer half of the mixture to a small bowl and fold in the cherries.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, water, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add the dry cake mix and stir until fully incorporated.

4. Spread half the cake batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the cherry mixture. Top with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the walnut mixture. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 25 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make-Ahead Tip: Store the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Fall Festival Recipe Exchange

Thanks to my blogging/read along friend Amy of My Friend Amy for once again hosting the Fall Festival Recipe Exchange.  Last year I submitted pumpkin french toast and pumpkin soup. This year, it is my famous pumpkin vegan chili!  I make this all through the fall and winter, but it is ALWAYS served on Halloween night accompanied by corn bread and orange jello.  You can easily make it carnivorous by using ground beef, but the bulgur gives it a rich, earthy, flavor.

Pumpkin Vegan Chili



INGREDIENTS


1 cup bulgur wheat


2 tsp olive oil


1 cup each chopped onion and red pepper


1 package of chili seasoning of your choice (I use William's chili seasoning)


2 1/2 cups water (or more if necessary)


1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes


1 can (15 oz) 100% pure pumpkin


1 medium zucchini, shredded


1 cup frozen corn


1 can (15.5 oz) low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed


1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Accompaniments: cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos

PREPARATION

1. Prepare bulgur according to package directions. 2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and pepper; sauté 5 minutes. Add chili seasoning; sauté until fragrant. 3. Add 2 1/2 cups water, the tomatoes, pumpkin, zucchini; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.4. Stir in beans, corn and bulgur; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

April Mother Daughter Book Group

Tonight, we hosted mother/daughter book group. This was the LAST thing I needed today. I was so not looking forward to it -- even secretly wishing all of the moms/daughters would cancel: I worked today, had to get Daisy daughter and her friend to and from dance class, my 2 boys to baseball games, clean house, finish the book, and put on a smiling face for our guests. As it turns out, it was EXACTLY what I needed -- Daisy daughter prepared excellent questions and for the first time, the girls took the discussion seriously (I think they are getting the hang of it)! Normally they are a little bit silly acting, but it was a thorough discussion tonight. Who knew Nancy Drew would be so thought provoking -- even for the moms!

Of all the books we've now read as a group -- this was my least favorite.

I remember staying up all night finishing The Secret of the Old Clock in 3rd grade. It was the 1st time I ever pulled an all-nighter. However, 30+ years later, it didn't quite have the same affect. Where the Betsy-Tacy books were old fashioned and nostalgic, Nancy Drew seemed dated and clichéd. Although, it really doesn't matter what I think, the girls loved the book. One thing I learned during out discussion is Carolyn Keene, the author of the Nancy Drew series, is really a pseudonym for a bunch of authors that wrote the series. Maybe that is why it was so formulaic.

Next month we are reading book 1 of the Ivy & Bean series by Annie Barrows.

Then we've committed to meet during the summer once school is out (I'm so excited!). I think we are going to read
Beezus and Ramona in preparation for the movie, which opens in July. And just in case you hadn't heard, Beverly Cleary, author of the Ramona series (and SO MUCH MORE) celebrated her 94th birthday last week! So, you should treat yourself to a Beverly Cleary book in the near future.

And for our special treat I made this:

Caramel Banana Tiramisu Recipe from Marzetti

It was delicious -- however -- please do not soak the ladyfingers in OJ!! It was a sloppy mess. Omit that one thing, and it would have been perfect. Although, I would change out ladyfingers for vanilla wafers too. It would have been more like a traditional banana pudding. And you need 2 containers of cool whip - one to add to the pudding mixture, one for the topping.

It was a perfect ending -- to a not so perfect day.

Book source: public library

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

My dear friend, Jen, invited a group over this morning for a Christmas brunch and gift exchange. It was delightful and I thoroughly enjoy being with my friends.

My contribution to the "pot luck" was an Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake that was truly delicious.

A perfect treat for the holidays.

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

1 box spice cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding/pie filling mix
1 small carton (8oz) non fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 c. canola oil
1 c. eggnog
3 eggs
Powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350; coat nonstick bundt pan with baking spray


2. Combine cake mix, pudding, yogurt, oil, eggnog, eggs in a large bowl. Mix according to package directions.


3. Pour into prepared pan; bake 40-45 minutes (it's a VERY thick batter, it may take longer); cool on wire rack; remove from pan, dust with powdered sugar.

Eat all of it yourself, or share with your family, but only if necessary.

Book Group Night

It’s our last meeting of the year – we take December OFF for the holidays – and I feel like a failure! For the first time since being pregnant or having small, nursing babies, I didn’t finish the book!! Ugh! I usually save the book club choice until the last week before our meeting, so the details can be fresh in my mind. So far, my M.O. has worked – until this week. Everything that could go wrong did – including a child being sent home from school with LICE. My free hours for the past few days have been devoted to delousing everything in our house, including parents, children and furniture. I’m exhausted. And although the first 40 pages of Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” were utterly fascinating and disturbing, I just didn’t have the brain power to overcome my unforeseen obstacles. This was a week for a romance novel.

To make up for my lack of literary brain power, I’m making Pumpkin Dump Cake, a recipe I found through Amy’s Fall Recipe Exchange. It’s in the oven and smells scrumptious. We have a Thanksgiving Pot Luck for our November meeting. Hopefully my book groupees will forgive me my literary trespasses when they eat this cake.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Here's What You Need:
1 (29 oz) can of Pumpkin
1 cup of sugar
1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk
3 eggs
4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spices (or combination of cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves/ginger
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 box of yellow cake mix
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Here's What You Do!

First you're going to combine the pumpkin, sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spices and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat well. Pour this lovely mixture into a greased 9x13 glass pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the pumpkin mixture and then sprinkle in the pecans. Pour melted butter over it. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. When you stick the knife into the center and it comes out clean, you're good to go! Make sure you keep an eye on it at the end as it'll burn easily. This will make tons of goodies for you (or 12-15 people) to enjoy!

Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Apparently, I am the only person on the planet that hasn't had this jello salad. We had it our monthly PTA Council meeting today. Ooohhh sooo gooood!!

There was leftover -- we had it for dinner!

What You Need!
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1-1/2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (6 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1-1/2 cups cold water
1 qt. (4 cups) strawberries, sliced OR one package of frozen strawberries, thawed

Make It!

HEAT oven to 350°F.

MIX pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter. Press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.

BEAT cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk until blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Refrigerate.

ADD boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression). Stir in strawberries; spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Fall Festival Recipe Exchange

What a great idea!

Amy, from My Friend Amy, has started a Fall Festival Recipe Exchange. It's a great chance to celebrate the wonders of the fall harvest and enjoy good, comfort food from fellow bloggers.

I hope you enjoy my contributions!

Pumpkin French Toast
1/ 2 cup canned solid packed pumpkin
6 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 slices (or more) “Texas-toast” style loaf bread
Non stick spray

1. Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, milk, and salt in a large bowl. Place the bread in baking dish and pour the pumpkin mixture over and turn the bread to coat evenly. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Spray griddle with non stick spray and heat to medium-high. Place 4 slices of the bread on griddle and cook until golden brown on 1 side, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the slices over and cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes longer. Re spray with non stick spray if necessary; repeat with remaining bread. Serve with syrup.

Pumpkin Soup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
3 cups chicken broth
16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (or squash)
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan, and sauté garlic and onions till golden brown. Add curry powder, salt, coriander, and cayenne pepper; simmer gently for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

Add pumpkin, stirring till smooth. Add evaporated milk. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes; don't allow soup to boil (but a simmer is OK).

For a smoother soup, in batches, transfer soup to blender or food processor. Process till very smooth. Serve hot.

Dinner Tonight -- Slow-Cooker Pork Pozole

Slow-Cooker Pork Pozole - Womansday.com

Dessert Tonight!

MyRecipes

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Several months ago I was in the car listening to NPR. The news program was mid-stream by the time I tuned in, but the topic was food additives, specifically an additive called sodium aluminum phosphate. What I derived from the tail-end of the show was that a study had been done that showed a link between aluminum consumption and Alzheimer’s. This additive is found in many easy-to-use products found on most of our pantry shelves – particularly, pancake mix, cake mixes and cookies mixes. The additive, so they said, helped prevent “clumping” of the dry ingredients. I wish I’d heard the program in its entirety, because I don’t like making judgments on partial information. My intention was to go home immediately and log on to the NPR website, but that didn’t happen (I must have forgotten because I’ve ingested too much SAP!), and it wasn’t until several days later that it occurred to me that I needed to find the link for the program. I searched the entire NPR website without success. I then Googled it and hit upon thousands of links to Alzheimer’s and SAP. I didn’t have the time to read every article, but it did make me curious to see what I had on my shelves that contained SAP that I feed my kids. I was shocked to notice that EVERY cookie mix, cake mix and the big bag of pancake mix I had contained SAP. Yikes!! On my next trip to the grocery store (without kids) I stood in the baking aisle and tried to read the labels of all the products I use and others to compare their ingredient list. This is what I’ve discovered and wanted to pass along.

(Now, I think I’m a mom that does her best to feed her kids healthy food, read food labels and cook from “scratch” when I can. I wish I could buy more “organic” food – but the reality is we just can’t afford groceries at Whole Foods. I’m also a mom that uses plastic and other things deemed deadly. I think I’m middle of the road – does her best to make smart purchases and decisions – but knows there are things lurking in our modern day food supply and home products that have shown to be dangerous that we use and consume. Like I said, I do my best.)

Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes:

They contain SAP. This was my cookie mix of choice. We loved them – they tasted just like homemade. I’ve been making cookies from this brand for years, primarily because they have the BOX TOP tag on the package that my kids collect for their elementary school. However, I now use either the Kroger brand cookie mix or the Target brand – neither one contain SAP and they both make delicious cookies! Preferably, we use Target brand because they are cheaper – usually $1.52 a bag. The sugar cookie mix makes AWESOME Snickerdoodles!

Cake Mixes:

I haven’t done as much label reading on cake mixes as much as cookie, because we don’t eat cake that often (birthday only kinda thing). I know Pillsbury DOES add SAP – because it was our brand of choice. I’ve checked all the websites for these products, and unfortunately, none of them have ingredient lists. Very disappointing. I haven’t made a cake from scratch in years (probably, because they are terrible!) and I’m not sure I’m ready to abandon cake mixes altogether. My advice is to read the label.

Pancake Mixes:

I use to buy my pancake mix in the BIG bag at Sam’s – Krusteaz – and it too contains SAP. As does Bisquick. I haven’t checked Aunt Jemima, but Hungry Jack DOES contain SAP and surprisingly, they have their ingredients listed on their website.

So, out of all of these products, pancakes are the most consumed in our household. Pancakes are a Saturday morning staple – buttermilk, chocolate chip, banana, pumpkin, peanut butter – you name it, we make pancakes out of it – and use pancake molds for fun! I thought the best change I could implement was to start making pancakes from scratch. I pulled out an old copy of Make-a-Mix Cookery



(a Mormon housewife staple back in the ‘70s -- didn’t every Utah mom have one of these – and tons of big plastic tubs full of mixes for every use imaginable??!!) I’ve adapted one of their mix recipes for our standard Saturday pancake mix. I bought a big plastic tub and keep it in the pantry. These pancakes are wonderful and hearty. They are especially good with buttermilk. I recommend keeping buttermilk in the refrigerator just for these.

Gerbera Daisy Mom’s Saturday Morning Pancakes:

5 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups all purpose, non bleached, white flour
2 ½ cups instant non-fat dry milk
½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. baking powder
¼ c. baking soda
2 tbsps. salt
2 tbsps cinnamon

Sift all ingredients together into large plastic container with an air tight lid.

To prepare:

Add:
1 ½ c. pancake mix
1 egg, beaten
1 c water/milk/buttermilk (adjust liquid accordingly for thicker/thinner pancakes)
3 tbsp canola oil

Blend all ingredients together (add mashed bananas/pumpkin/blueberries if you like); Let stand 5 minutes (sometimes I make mine overnight so the batter is ready first thing in the morning); Cook on hot oiled/sprayed griddle. Makes 10-12 pancakes.



Enjoy your pancakes – and next time you are in the baking aisle, try to read the label, and use wisely.

When in Rome…

With the Obama’s in Rome for the G-8 summit, I’ve been reminiscing about all things Italian. My darling husband served his mission in Rome and we got engaged on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. I cried hysterically when we left – like I was saying good-bye to my best friend. I’ve only been once and dream of taking the family back one day. It was a magical place.

Among the millions of reason I married my DH was he could cook – and cook darn good. His pastas and sauces keep our family well fed. The tradeoff between cooking and cleaning the kitchen is a no-brainer – give me dirty dishes any day! However, since our marriage, I have picked up a few tricks. Below is my quick, easy and SNEAKY, marinara sauce. I add some “extras” so the kids get their veggies without knowing it. Homemade tomato sauce is SO EASY and so much better than jarred sauce.

Easy/Sneaky Marinara Sauce

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 jars of veggie baby food – I use carrots or squash
1 tbsp brown sugar
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Saute onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in olive oil until soft (about 7 min).
2. Add both cans of tomatoes/sauce. Make sure you add a little water to the cans to get ALL the tomato goodness leftover on the sides – and add that too. Add your veggie baby food. Bring to a boil and simmer at least 20 minutes or until your pasta is ready. Add the brown sugar 5 minutes before you are ready to serve it. Serve over the pasta of your choice with freshly grated parmesan cheese. (You can add dried basil or oregano, but we prefer it plain. If have fresh basil or oregano growing in the herb patch, I always add it when I’m serving).

If you have left over sauce, it makes great pizza sauce. It also freezes well.


Also, the ONLY pasta we eat in our house is BARILLA. It’s an Italian pasta and is found in all major grocery stores. Last week, our Super Wal Mart had it on sale for $.94 a box! I bought a case. It always cooks perfectly and they have tons of shapes and varieties. Please, whatever you do, do not buy RONCO!! Ahhhh!!!

Rotten Bananas

I had lots of over ripe bananas this morning, so the only thing to do is make banana bread!

Recently, the popular thing to do is make recipes “sneaky” – adding whole grains and vegetables to normal recipes in a sneaky way so the kiddos don’t realize they are eating healthy. I’ve created a sneaky recipe for banana bread that my kids love. Thought I would share:

Sneaky Banana Bread

Mix together dry ingredients:
¾ c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. all purpose flour
1½ tsps baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
dash salt

Mix together wet ingredients:
2 or 3 ripe bananas
1 jar carrot or squash baby food (4oz)
¾ c. brown sugar
¼ c canola oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moist (do not over stir). Pour into 9x4 loaf pan; bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes then take out of loaf pan to cool completely.

Enjoy!!

Kids, Time for Dinner!

We had this



for dinner...the kids loved it! Thought I would share....