Ham and Cheese Baked Pasta

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with Baked mac and cheese, Colby cheese, dinner, food, recipe, vegetarian February 14, 2014

Ham and Cheese Baked Pasta

How many ways can there be to make macaroni and cheese you may ask. I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that new and different ways to prepare it keep popping up. Here’s another one!

While I don’t need 101 ways to make mac and cheese, a new really good version is always a welcome addition. What’s special about this one? First, it includes ham, making this dish a good way to use up leftover ham if you have some; second, the seasonings are a little unusual-mustard and garlic- subtle, but noticeable; and third, it uses Colby cheese instead of the usual cheddar, or Velveeta. Finally the pasta called for in the recipe is farfalle (bow ties), but when I checked my pasta supply, I didn’t have enough so rather that mix two different kinds of pasta, I used campanelle that looks like little rolled up horns. The kind of pasta you use is important because you want a form that will hold onto all the rich cheese sauce, and get nice browned crispy edges when its baked.

The recipe is easy to make and put together, then it bakes for about 25 minutes. It starts out with precooked pasta, ham cut into thin julienne strips, and a cheese sauce made from butter, flour, milk, and cheese plus seasonings. Serve this casserole with a mixed green salad and you’ve got a wonderful meal, sure to satisfy even the pickiest eater.

This could easily become a vegetarian meal by omitting the ham and subbing in a vegetable like broccoli, or edamame, or a combination of veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot.

HAM AND CHEESE BAKED PASTA

Yield: Makes about 7 cups, serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:

8 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta, or other shape pasta like campanelle
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 cups milk ( I used skim milk)
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard, like Gulden’s
2 1/2 cups shredded Colby cheese
4 oz. cooked ham, cut into thin julienne pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease or spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sauté garlic 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour in milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly to keep it smooth. Stir in mustard and Colby cheese.

Continue to stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and ham.

4. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

Leftovers ( if you’re lucky) may be reheated by adding a little milk to make the sauce creamy again. Reheat in oven, covered with foil to keep from drying out, or reheat in the microwave.

SOURCE: Allrecipes Magazine

You hold the key to my heart!

With her arms and pocket full of hearts, and a tiny key hanging from her arm, this little lady expresses my sentiments exactly. Thanks to you, my lovely readers, this blog site has shown a great amount of growth over the past year. Love to all of you on this Valentine’s Day !!

The Morning After the Night Before

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch and tagged with breakfast, breakfast casserole, brunch, food, hash browns, recipe, sausage February 13, 2014

Are you planning a cozy dinner at home for your sweetie and you this Valentine’s Day? Skip the crowded restaurant this year and make a romantic dinner for two. I’m not here today to help you plan your date-night menu, but instead to remind you of the morning after, when you may want to keep that special “glow” going.

Cheesy Potato and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Here’s the plan: the next morning when you wake up, quietly go down to the kitchen, and prepare that first cup of coffee, and while you’re there surreptitiously slip this Cheesey Egg, Sausage, and Potato casserole into the oven. While it’s baking you and your honey can enjoy your coffee(s) snuggled under the covers. In about 30 minutes or so you will notice a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. That’s when you say ” let’s go see what we can find for breakfast”, and surprise!! you find this enticing breakfast casserole already to serve, hot out of the oven.

He will be amazed at your talent for coming up with such a wonderful breakfast. The first slice of it will reveal a bottom layer of potatoes, made from frozen hash browns, then an eggy layer, on top of that a layer of spicy breakfast sausage and onions, all topped off with melted cheese. How did you accomplish this so fast? Only you will know that it was all prepared the evening before while you were making dinner, then hidden away in the refrigerator over night, ready to pop into the oven in the morning. Oh, you clever girl, you!

CHEESY POTATO AND SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

YIELD: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk pork sausage
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cups hash brown potatoes, thawed
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
dash or two of hot sauce, optional
1 cup grated cheese of choice, cheddar, Colby, Jack, swiss

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a baking dish. This may be a round deep dish 9″ pie dish, or an 8 or 9-inch square pan.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, crumble the sausage, and cook to brown and render the fat. Add the chopped onion and cook until onion is translucent. Set aside.

Cooking up the sausage and onion.

3. In the same skillet, leave any drippings in place, and add the hash browns. Cook just briefly, to remove any iciness and brown then up a little. Transfer potatoes to the prepared baking dish, spreading them out in an even layer to form a crust.

Spread the potatoes out to form a crust.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce if using. Pour over the potatoes in the baking dish.

Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes.

5. Layer the sausage-onion mixture over the eggs, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with foil.

Layer on the sausage and onions.

Top with grated cheese. Cover with foil.

6. Bake for about 35 minutes. Remove the foil and leave in the oven another 5-6 minutes to brown up the top and crisp the edges.

Cut into wedges or squares and serve hot with a side of fruit or fruit salad, and toast or biscuits.

When I served this to my husband all he could say was “Mmmm-mmmm. Wow!”

SOURCE: Allrecipes.com

Brownie Conversation Hearts

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with conversation hearts, dessert, food, heart-shaped brownies, recipe, valentines day February 12, 2014

Conversation Brownie Hearts

If brownies could speak what would they say? How about things like: U R 4 Me, I (heart) U, B Mine, B F F. I think you get the idea. Just think of those little heart candies with the sweet sentiments on them. Those same sentiments can be written on fudgy brownies for Valentines Day.

Write on them or leave them plain. They are still pretty.

Using a boxed brownie mix, these don’t take long to make, but they look like you spent a lot of time on them. Here’s how I made them. You will need….

BROWNIE CONVERSATION HEARTS

Yield: about 18 heart shaped brownies

Ingredients:

1 package (family-size) fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons water

1. Empty brownie mix into a large bowl. Add the sour cream, eggs, and water. Mix well, but do not over mix. Spoon batter into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. Bake and cool as package directs. When sufficiently cool, cut out with heart shaped cookie cutters. Mine were about 2 1/2 inches wide.

Cutting out the hearts.

Place brownies on a wire rack over a wax paper-lined baking sheet.

For Frosting:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
red food coloring

1. Mix confectioners’ sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat until sugar is melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Tint with food coloring to the desired level of color. While icing is hot, spoon or pour icing over tops of brownies. If icing becomes too stiff, or starts to crystalize, gently reheat to pouring consistency. Let cool till icing is set. Note: I thought mine looked neater, with the drips trimmed away, keeping the icing on the tops only.

2. Remaining icing may be tinted a darker shade to use for writing on the brownies, or melt a few chocolate chips to write with. Put the icing (or melted chocolate) in a zip lock bag. Cut a tiny snip off one corner, and squeeze out the icing to write on the brownie tops.

SOURCE: All Recipes Magazine

Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with almonds, Biscotti, chocolate, cookies, dessert, dried cherries, food, recipe February 11, 2014

Chocolate Almond Cherry Biscotti

Don’t try to resist these. Just go with the flow and have one (or two) with a warm cup of coffee, or hot cocoa. Oh, my, they are beyond good.

Perfect with a cup of coffee or cocoa.

If you have never made biscotti before, let me assure you they are not hard. Yes, they bake twice. That’s what gives them their crunch. First you mix up the dough and shape it into a log on a baking sheet. Then the log is baked and allowed to cool a bit. Then you slice it crosswise, and bake it again. These cookies are crunchy and chocolatey. Chock full of chopped almonds and sweet dried cherries, then they’re dipped into melted semisweet chocolate for that extra special Valentine touch. Ta-da!!

These are perfect for dessert, teatime, with a cup of cappuccino, perfect for breakfast, perfect for packaging up and giving this Valentine’s Day. Did I say they are perfect? Ooooo-yeah!

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CHERRY BISCOTTI

YIELD: 16-18 pieces

Lots of good things go into these lovely biscotti.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/3 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried cherries

For chocolate dip:

1 cup mini chocolate chips, divided
2 tsp. shortening

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar till fluffy. Add in the eggs and extracts, beating till well combined.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, almond flour, baking powder and salt.

Mix dry ingredients together.

With the mixer on “Low”, add in the dry ingredients in several batches. Stir in the almonds and cherries.

4. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheet diagonally in a long line. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a log that measures approx. 14″ x 3″. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula if necessary.

Shape dough into a “log”.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.

The log, after baking.

6. Reduce oven temperature to 325*F. Spritz log lightly with water just to slightly moisten the crust. Cut crosswise into strips about 3/4-inch to 1-inch wide. Stand upright.

Spritz the crust lightly, cut crosswise, and stand upright.

Spritz the crust lightly, cut crosswise, and stand slices upright.

7. Return to the oven and bake an additional 25 – 30 minutes till dry. Remove and let cool completely.

8. To Dip: Melt 2/3 cup chips and the shortening in a microwave safe dish ( about 45 seconds at 50% power). Stir to smooth out, then stir in the remaining chips and stir again till smooth. Dip bottoms of biscotti into the chocolate. Let dry on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 5 – 10 minutes to set.

Dip bottoms of biscotti into melted chocolate.

SOURCE: Bake at 350

Shortbread Heart Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Cookies, Desserts and tagged with dessert, heart cookies, raspberry butter cookies, recipe, sugar cookies, valentines day February 10, 2014

Shortbread Heart Cookies

I remember the first time I ever had shortbread cookies. They were made by a woman from Scotland who was a friend of my mother’s. I thought they were the most delicious cookies I had ever had. Tasting strongly of butter, with a texture that was tender and flaky, they simply melted on my tongue. I have tried on many occasions to duplicate those cookies. Somehow the ones I turn out fall just shy of the perfection I remember. Or is it that time has a way of altering our memories just a little?

Anyway, the recipe I’m sharing with you today is my go-to recipe for shortbread cookies. I like it because the dough can be made in the processor, thereby eliminating all that stirring and blending of butter with the flour /sugar mixture. An egg yolk, a little water, and almond or vanilla extract add just enough moisture to hold it all together. Once chilled it is easy to work with and rolls out easily, so it can be cut into shapes for whatever the occasion may be. Here, I cut heart shapes, and then to fancy them up for Valentine’s Day I added a strip of raspberry jam and a chocolate drizzle. Since raspberry and chocolate are a favorite combination, this works very well, and makes an attractive and tasty cookie.

Shortbread Heart Cookies

SHORTBREAD CUTOUT COOKIES

YIELD: Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched almonds**
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

** If you would prefer to eliminate the almonds, substitute 1/2 cup more flour.

To make cookies that look like mine you will also need:

1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, almonds, sugar and salt; cover and process until almonds are finely ground. Cut butter into cubes; add to processor. Pulse on and off until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Combine the egg yolk, water and extract in a small bowl. With processor running, gradually add yolk mixture; process until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut into desired shapes

4. With the handle of a wooden spoon, or other small cylindrical object, make a depression diagonally across each cookie.

4a. Place the raspberry preserves in a microwave safe cup or small bowl, and stir in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil in the microwave: about 1 minute. Stir well and allow to cool.

Fill the indentation in each cookie with a small amount of the raspberry preserves.

5. Bake at 325*F. for 12 – 14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool.

6. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring @ 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over each cookie. Allow the chocolate to harden before storing in an air-tight container.

SOURCE: Adapted from Taste of Home

Here are some more Valentine’s Day cookies that have been featured previously in this space.

Sandwiches Sweet and Pink

Pecan Sour Cream Sandies

Turtle Fudge Cake with Caramel Drizzle

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with cake, caramel sauce, dessert, food, fudge cake, recipe, turtle fudge cake February 7, 2014

Turtle Fudge Cake

Just hearing the word “fudge” brings tears of joy to most chocolate-lovers’ eyes. After all, what other dessert conjures up images so rich and chocolaty? It’s mind-boggling to consider how long fudge has been popular. Did you know that fudge was adored back in the 19th century and is still popular today?

According to John Mariani in the The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, fudge as a candy first appeared as a written recipe in 1896. Today fudge is more than just a candy–it’s used to enhance cakes, brownies, cookies, ice creams and frostings.

Most of us particularly love fudge cakes as they tend to be moister, richer and often more rewarding than regular chocolate cakes. We celebrated family birthdays occurring in January and February just recently and I was the official cake-baker. There were three “birthday girls” ranging in age from five years old, to mid-twenties, to her eighties.

The “birthday girls”.

When asked what kind of cake they would like , all agreed on chocolate cake, especially with white frosting. So that sent me on a hunt for an outstanding chocolate cake that would meet all my requirements; be moist and fudgy, and provide a large number of servings. This one relies on a good quality cake mix as the basis with some additions that really raise it to a level that I call outstanding.

One of the additions is caramel candies. You will notice in the directions that half-way through the baking process, caramels are gently pressed into the top crust of the cake. As the cake bakes they melt into a tunnel of caramel running through the center of the cake. Since most little girls like lots of “do-dahs” on their cake, I used chocolate covered caramels in the cake, and then melted more of them with a little cream, to create an uncomplicated, delicious topping that’s drizzled over the top and down the sides of the cake. To incorporate white frosting, I made a plain white frosting from butter, confectioner’s sugar and milk and kept it thin so it would run down the sides of the cake. I applied that first and after it firmed up, I then drizzled the caramel topping over it.

Drizzle chocolate caramel over the top in a random pattern.

TURTLE FUDGE CAKE WITH CARAMEL DRIZZLE

Yield: 12 – 14 servings

Ingredients:

For fudge cake:

1 (18.25 oz.) box Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker)
1 (3.9-oz.) box Jell-O Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding and Pie Filling Mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped ( I needed to omit the nuts, because of allergies)
25 caramels, such as Hershey’s Classic Caramels ( or chocolate covered caramels)

I used chocolate-covered caramels.

For Caramel Drizzle:

15 caramels
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly spray a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Put all the ingredients into one bowl and mix up.

2. Place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs and sour cream in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until ingredients are just combined, about 1 1/2 minutes, stopping at least once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in pecans with a spatula, mixing just until nuts are thoroughly distributed. Batter will be thick.

Batter will be thick going into the pan,

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing and leveling top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake from oven and place caramels on top of cake in a ring, pressing them down gently just into top crust of cake.

Place the caramels in a ring over the top of the partially baked cake.

Do not push them entirely into cake. Place cake back in the oven and bake for another 25 – 30 minutes (total of 50-55 minutes), or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

This cake rises nice and high. Not all of the caramels sunk into the cake.

4. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan onto wire rack and let cool completely.

5. Make caramel drizzle: In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt caramels and heavy cream together until completely smooth. (You can melt them in the microwave also.) Place a sheet of waxed paper under wire rack holding cake and pour caramel over top of cake, allowing it to drizzle down sides and center. Note: I placed the cake on it’s serving plate, then slid strips of wax paper under the edges to catch any drips of frosting or caramel. These can be easily pulled out before serving–much easier than trying to maneuver a frosted cake onto a cake dish!!

To make your cake look like mine: After step 4, mix up a small amount of frosting using about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tbsp. soft butter and enough cream (start with 1 Tbsp. and add as necessary) to make a spreading consistency.

Powdered sugar, butter and a little cream make the frosting.

Pour over the cake and allow it to drip down the sides and center.

Pour over the cake and let it run down the sides and middle.

Pour over the cake and let it run down the sides and center.

After it has hardened, proceed with step 5, making the caramel drizzle and dripping it over the white frosting so some of the white shows through.

Make the caramel a thin drizzling consistency.

Drizzle chocolate caramel over the top in a random pattern.

Final decorations in place. Let’s party!!

This would be lovely for Valentine’s Day also.

This cake more than lived up to its promise! It was moist and fudgy, giving all the flavors of Turtle candies (minus the pecans). Definitely a calorie splurge, but for a Birthday cake it was definitely worth it. 😀

SOURCE: Major-ly adapted from Chocolatier Magazine

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals and tagged with Broccoli, Pasta, quick meal, recipe, shrimp scampi February 6, 2014

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi

Shrimp Scampi is one of my all-time favorite seafood dishes, one that I routinely order in a good seafood restaurant. However, I frequently make it at home as well. There is already one such recipe already here on the blog, but I made this variation of it recently and felt that you might be interested in it too. I cooked the shrimp in a different way, and included broccoli for a more fully rounded dish.

The idea for cooking the shrimp this way came by way of Pinterest, and I must say they are very tasty. Using melted butter, sliced lemons, and Good Seasons Salad Dressing Mix for seasoning, these shrimp would be just great dipped in cocktail sauce for a party. When I saw all that nicely seasoned butter available after cooking the shrimp, that’s when I decided to turn them into Scampi. The whole deal is really very simple. You can have this dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.

SHRIMP AND BROCCOLI SCAMPI

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Shrimp, lemons, salad dressing mix.
5 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 lemon, sliced
1 package Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
8 0z. uncooked thin spaghetti
2 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. On a baking sheet with sides, melt 4 Tablespoons of butter in the preheating oven. Remove baking sheet from oven and lay the lemon slices in the butter. Place all the shrimp on top of the lemon, then sprinkle with dry salad dressing mix.

Lay shrimp on top of lemons and melted butter.

Note: I used about half an envelop for 1 pound of shrimp, and we thought it was adequately seasoned. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, till shrimp turn pink and are almost fully cooked. Remove and set aside.

Shrimp after baking.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta as package directs, omitting salt and oil. Add the broccoli in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1 Tbsp butter and olive oil; swirl to coat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add the chicken broth; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits. Combine 1 Tbsp. water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into stock mixture; cook 1 minute. (Note: Don’t skip the cornstarch here– it helps the garlicky sauce cling to the pasta.)

Chicken broth, cornstarch mixture and garlic, ready for the pan.

4. Stir in the shrimp and all its juices.

Shrimp and its juices added to the skillet.

Add pasta, broccoli, parsley and salt. Cook 1-2 minutes, to heat through, tossing to coat well. Transfer to serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

This rendition of shrimp scampi is about the best I have ever made. Not a drop of buttery juice goes to waste and the broccoli benefits from the lemon and seasonings. So good, I hope you try this one!!

SOURCE: Carolyn’s Originals

In the Know about Cookie Butter

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Uncategorized and tagged with cookie butter, foods, make your own cookie butter, recipe for cookie butter, trends, ways to eat cookie butter February 5, 2014

For decades, peanut butter was the only spread in town. Then in 1983, Nutella came to the U.S., and America went nuts over the chocolate-hazelnut combo. But now another spread has taken over: cookie butter. Also called speculoos spread (it’s made from finely ground Belgian speculoos spice cookies), it looks like peanut butter but tastes like gingerbread–and I for one can’t seem to get enough of it.

Trader Joe’s has both a smooth and crunchy version and it was the grocery chain’s top-selling product last year, and some stores in big cities like San Francisco and Dallas had to limit the number of purchases per customer. I thought it might interest you to learn how all this madness developed over the years.

Trader Joe’s Crunchy Cookie Butter

THE RISE OF COOKIE BUTTER

1986 DELTA Air Lines started passing out packets of speculoos cookies called Biscoff (made by the Belgium company Lotus) to U.S. passengers, sparking a national obsession.

1990 After trying Biscoff in the air, Delta customers demanded the cookies on the ground, so Lotus partnered with the airline’s food provider to offer them through a mail-order catalog.

2007 On a Belgian TV competition contestant Els Scheppers turned speculoos into a spread. She and Lotus worked together to market her recipe as Biscoff Spread.

Biscoff Spread

2011 Biscoff Spread hit stores in the U.S. The same year Trader Joe’s debuted its version, Speculoos Cookie Butter.

2012 Both Lotus and Trader Joe’s introduced crunchy versions of the spread. Trader Joe’s also released cookie butter-filled chocolate bars and its own speculoos cookies. Häagen-Dazs came out with speculoos-inspired ice cream.

2013 Williams-Sonoma now offers cookie spreads in three new flavors: cookies and cream, graham cracker and vanilla wafer. Meanwhile, Lucky Scent has now started selling Le Speculoos fragrance, suggesting that the trend has reached critical dimensions. On a personal note, I don’t think that I would like going around smelling like a cookie. I’d rather eat one than smell like one. But, I guess, if you’re really into your diet, it’s one way of having your cookie. 😀

WAYS TO TRY IT

As a dip for fruit, celery and pretzels. I love it spread on apple wedges.
On pancakes and waffles
Swirled into oatmeal
In a smoothie
As a sandwich-cookie filling
Melted and drizzled over ice cream
Or…. eat it straight from the jar. The best way!

MAKE YOUR OWN!

Roughly crush 12 gingersnaps, 6 whole graham crackers and 5 shortbread cookies, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Add 3 Tablespoons cold water and pulse until combined then let sit 10 minutes. Ad 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of cinnamon. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup coconut milk and blend until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Two of the ways that I have used Biscoff Cookie Butter is in this recipe and this one.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Biscoff Glaze

Biscoff Swirl Brownies

SOURCE: Majorly adapted from Food Network Magazine, with my own personal additions.

Brown Rice Pilaf

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Side Dish and tagged with brown rice, leek, Mushrooms, recipe, rice pilaf, side dish, vegan, vegetarian, whole grains February 4, 2014

Brown Rice Pilaf

In my attempts to add more fibre and whole grains to our diet, I’ve turned to brown rice. Brown rice is unpolished rice, with only the husk removed. Up until fairly recent I did not cook brown rice because it seemed to take a long while to cook. Now, however, there are several ways to get this wholesome grain into your diet without the time involved in cooking it. It is available in a package as pre-cooked and only involves heating it up in the microwave (such as Uncle Ben’s). This same company also makes a boil-in-the-bag brown rice that only takes 10 minutes to cook. With this kind of convenience, there is no reason to avoid brown rice any longer.

This recipe for rice pilaf using brown rice included two additional ingredients that I particularly love: mushrooms and leeks. Nuts may also be added such as almonds or pecans, providing a little additional crunch. Rice pilaf is a great go-with served with just about any kind of meat or fish, or as a side dish in a meatless meal. Using the rice as a base you can add whatever additional ingredients suit your fancy and turn out a dish that is nutritious and enjoyable all rolled into one.

BROWN RICE PILAF WITH ALMONDS

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 (8.8 oz.) package pre-cooked whole-grain brown rice, or a bag of boil-in-the-bag brown rice
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium size leek, sliced white and light green parts
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. sliced almonds
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Cook the brown rice according to package directions.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the thinly sliced leek and the mushrooms and sauté for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Add 1/4 cup water, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in the almonds, salt and pepper.

Stir in the cooked rice, and stir to blend.

Transfer to serving dish.

Brown Rice Pilaf with Almonds

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Desserts and tagged with coconut, dessert, gluten-free, low fat, mango, pudding, recipe, tapioca February 3, 2014

Tapioca Pudding with Mango and Coconut Cream

Are you still sticking with your New Year’s Resolution? You know, the one about exercising and losing weight. You are? Why that’s just great! And I’m here to help with that. Isn’t it hard going without desserts though, denying yourself those sweets you love? What happens most often is–you can hold out for a while, but then youabsolutelymusthavesomething for dessert.

For me pudding seems to be the answer. I cannot completely cut desserts out of my life, so I think that having a limited quantity of a dessert that is not excessively decadent is exactly what’s needed. It keeps me sane (at least I think so). In my opinion there is no better dessert for this purpose than pudding. This week my pudding of choice is tapioca. OK, so call me old-fashioned. I served it in dessert cups that I found in my parent’s attic; I love these old vintage dishes, too.

Served in vintage dessert dishes.

Tapioca is a pudding that doesn’t get much attention in the pudding/dessert world. It’s a puzzle to me, as I think it’s gorgeous, has a chewy starchy texture, and comes from the plant world. Tapioca pearls come in several sizes, but I like the tiny ones. They get cooked in a custard to which you can add vanilla or lemon, orange, or cinnamon. Tapioca pudding is like a blank slate. In this case, since I am feeling the effects of this long cold winter, I included ingredients that I associate with the tropics; mango, lime and coconut. I used mango pureed with lime juice, and topped off the whole thing with whipped coconut cream, and toasted coconut chips for garnish.

A luxurious, but surprisingly low-fat dessert.

If you are dreaming of warmer places, places with palm trees and tropical fruits, places where one does not need to pull on heavy snow boots with ski socks, a down-quilted jacket, knit hat, scarf and gloves just for a grocery store run, then this dessert might just be the dessert for you.

As I write this, the southern parts of the U.S are feeling the full brunt of a winter snow-sleet-ice storm. I feel your pain, people. We here in the northeast know just what you’re going through. Hang in there, Spring is on its way!

COCONUT TAPIOCA PUDDING WITH MANGO

Yield: 4 1/2-cup servings, plus toppings

Pudding:

Tiny pearl tapioca, plus "light" coconut milk.

Small pearl tapioca, .

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca, such as Bob’s Red Mill
2 1/2 cups coconut milk ( light or full-fat, or use regular milk)
1 egg yolk
1/4 – 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mango Puree:

1 very ripe mango, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
2 tsp. granulated sugar, optional ( I used it, but would skip it next time)
1 squeeze or two of fresh lime juice

Optional garnishes:

whipped coconut cream
1/2 cup toasted coconut chips or flakes
few gratings of lime zest

Make Pudding: In a medium saucepan, soak tapioca in coconut milk for 30 minutes. Whisk in egg yolk, sugar, and salt. Place saucepan over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer, then reduce it to very low so it’s barely bubbling, and cook it until it thickens, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cooking the tapioca vanilla custard

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into pudding cups to chill for several hours. Pudding may seem thin going into the cups but after chilling in the fridge, it will set on the firm side.

Pour pudding into dessert cups to chill.

To make a softer, lighter pudding you may want to beat the egg white you separated from the yolk, separately with a spoonful of sugar you would otherwise have added to the tapioca. Beat until glossy peaks form. After the pudding has cooled for about 15 minutes, spoon some of the pudding mixture into the egg white and fold in, then pour all of it back into the pudding, folding in until it has all been uniformly incorporated.

Make Mango Place mango chunks in a small food processor or blender with lime juice and sugar and blend until very smooth. Refrigerate puree until needed.

Make Whipped Coconut Cream: Place 1 can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. This will cause the coconut fats and thin milk/watery part to separate. Also place small/medium mixing bowl (ideally metal) in the freezer. The next day, turn the can of coconut milk upside down before opening it, so that the thickened coconut fat will be at the bottom. Pour off the thin coconut milk; you should have about 1 cup and this can be used towards the amount needed for the tapioca. About 2/3 thickened coconut fat will remain at the bottom of the can. Scrape this into the chilled bowl, and beat it with an electric mixer until thick and whipped, like cream. Dollop it over desserts such as this, though you will have more than you need for 4 puddings. It will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.

Thick coconut milk whips up like cream.

To Toast Coconut Chips: Heat an oven to 350*F. Spread coconut flakes on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes, tossing once if needed to help them brown evenly. Let cool before using.

To Serve: Dollop a spoonful of mango puree on the tapioca, then top it with a some coconut cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut before serving.

SOURCE: Smitten Kitchen

Delicious on a Dollar

Devoted to the preparation of healthy & economical foods that taste fabulous!

Monthly Archives: February 2014

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Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango

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