Pumpkin Ginger Scones

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Muffins & Scones and tagged with , , , , ,

Pumpkin Ginger Scones

Pumpkin used in baked goods seems to be gaining in popularity.  It is one of the most common flavors of Fall and gets used right through the Holidays.  Most typically it gets made into pies and served as dessert, however I am seeing more and more recipes for pumpkin used in breads, muffins and scones.  I love pumpkin in any form, I am also crazy about scones and as most of you know by now, crystalized ginger.  So when this recipe with those three magic words as its title found its way into my house recently I was preheating the oven before I got to the end of the recipe.

An absolutely lovely breakfast item they are full of flavor from the spices and dried fruit, and they also have a pleasant bite from the ginger bits that will get you going in the morning.  They are extremely easy to mix together, bake up in a jiffy, and you can be enjoying them within an hour.  They are wonderful warm from the oven, but also reheat nicely in the microwave.  This is another recipe you might want to have handy for Thanksgiving morning.  If you are having house guests, set out a basket of muffins and scones, hot coffee and juice and let your guests help themselves to breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

YIELD:  Makes 8 scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

    Essential ingredients: pumpkin, raisins, and crystalized ginger.

  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 cup ( 1 stick ) cold unsalted butter
  • 1 cup raisins ( use golden, dark, or some of both )
  • 1/2 cup crystalized ginger cut into fine dice
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment, or lightly grease a scone pan.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.  Cut in the butter until it’s the size of peas.  Stir in the raisins and ginger bits.

3.  Stir the pumpkin, vanilla, and egg together and add to the dry mixture, mixing until the dough comes together.  Pat the dough into a circle on the prepared baking sheet, or scoop into the wells of your scone pan.

4.  Cut the dough into 8 wedges with a greased bench knife or other knife.  Pull the scones back away from each other to give them 1/2″ space between them.  Bake for 14 – 17 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and serve warm or cold.  (They are best warm!)

Fresh out of the oven, just waiting for YOU!

SOURCE:    The Baking Sheet,  King Arthur Flour,  Holiday 2012

Shepherd’s Pie with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Carolyn's Originals, Main Dish and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Shepherd’s Pie with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

This recipe takes me back–way back–to when I was growing up.  Shepherd’s Pie was a casserole dish that my mother made frequently  because it was a favorite of my father’s.  He also loved horseradish, and often told my brother and me about how his grandfather grew horseradish, and ground it fresh, so it was really tangy and hot, with no added ingredients to tame it down. So he grew up with a taste for the real thing fresh from the garden.  Maybe I have a “gene” for horseradish, inherited from my father.  However I came by it, I like it  pretty well too, and I use it like relish to garnish some meats(like corned beef), and add it to other dishes just for the flavor it imparts.  Mashed potatoes is one of those dishes.  So—combine horseradish flavored mashed potatoes with a meat and vegetable pie and you’ve got one deeelish dish.  However if the thought of adding horseradish to your mashed potatoes doesn’t appeal to you just leave it out.

The other thing this casserole has going for it is parsnips.  Yep, parsnips.  Not a vegetable that gets a whole lot of press, and that’s a shame because parsnips add a lot of sweetness to whatever they are cooked with, or they are wonderful on their own either roasted or baked.  As a matter of fact, I will most likely be cooking parsnips again soon as I now have half a bag to use up after making this dish.

HORSERADISH-MASHED POTATO SHEPHERD’S PIE

SERVINGS:    4

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks.
  • salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 pounds ground beef sirloin
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2-3 Tablespoons chopped green onions or chives

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil.   Salt the water, lower the heat and simmer until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain, then mash with the milk, egg and horseradish, until light and fluffy.  Season with salt and pepper.

Sautee the onions a little.

2.  In a deep, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, parsnips, carrots and bay leaf.  Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until crisp tender, 8 – 10 minutes.

Add carrots, parsnip and bay leaf.

3.  Crumble the beef into the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Crumble in the beef, then sprinkle flour over the top.

Stir in the beef broth and cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Season with Worcestershire sauce.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper as needed.  Discard the bay leaf.

4.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Grease a shallow, medium casserole dish;  add the meat mixture and top with the mashed potatoes.  Bake until golden and heated through.  Sprinkle chives or green onions on top before serving.

Hot out of the oven, ready to be served.

SOURCE:   A Carolyn Original

Apple Cobbler Cupcakes

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cupcakes and tagged with , , , ,

Apple Cobbler Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

After deliberating for several days over what kind of cupcakes to make for my father-in-law’s birthday party.  I finally decided on these:  Apple Cobbler Cupcakes.  Since this celebration was the weekend before Halloween, it seemed logical to make a tie-in.  Then I thought, well no, his birthday should be the main focus, but it is Fall so something with apples would be good.  When you frost these with a caramel frosting, you get a riff on the traditional caramel apple—a Halloween treat.  Makes perfect sense, yes?  Everyone at the party thought so, and didn’t waste any time in making them disappear.   In fact, I had to hold back the crowds so I could get a picture or two.:)

Presentation on the Dessert Table

This recipe is supposed to make 12 cupcakes; that’s filling the baking cups nearly full.  I felt they didn’t need to be that big since we also had Birthday cake and ice-cream for dessert.  So I filled my cupcake tins (paper lined ) about half full and I got a total of 18 cupcakes.  Once baked they came up to the tops of the liners.  I topped them with a generous swirl of frosting, some orange colored sugar and a “gummy ” pumpkin for decoration.

APPLE COBBLER CUPCAKES

YIELD:   12 – 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 cup ( 1 stick ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 2 1/2 cups apples, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcakes tins with paper liners or grease lightly.

2.  Whisk together the dry ingredients;  flour through ginger.

3.  Beat butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.

4.  Beat in eggs, sour cream, and lemon extract till well blended. Scrape down the bowl once or twice.

5.  Mix in the flour mixture till well incorporated.

6.  Fold in the apples.

7.  Scoop into 12 – 18 cupcake liners.

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes (18 cupcakes) or 25 minutes (12 cupcakes).  A toothpick inserted into the center of one should come out clean.

9.  Cool for a few minutes in their pans, then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.

CARAMEL FROSTING

YIELD:  Makes about 2 1/4 cups

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup milk or light cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2  – 3 cups confectionery sugar, sifted.  It’s always best to sift your confectionery sugar for a silky smooth frosting.

1.  In a saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Add vanilla.  Cool to lukewarm.

2.  Gradually beat in the confectionery sugar till you get a spreadable consistency.  If you are piping on the frosting it needs to be a little stiffer to hold its shape.

3.  Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.

  

SOURCES:    Cupcakes:  The Cupcake Connection

Frosting:        Luscious Bakeshop Favorites From Your own Kitchen,  Shelly Kaldunski

Election Day Cake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes, Desserts and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Election Day Cake

With tomorrow being Election Day I thought it might be fun to share with you a recipe for Election Day Cake.  No kidding, there really was such a thing–and there still is if you care to make it.

The custom of making a special cake for  Election Day has a long history.  Back in the early days of America, voters would have to travel great distances to cast their ballots, often to the state Capitol.   Since only the men were allowed to vote back then, the women of the hosting towns would serve cake to the visiting voters.  Election Day was a festive occasion calling for a special treat.   The Election Cake ( also called Hartford Election Cakes) is a yeast-raised fruitcake first reported as early as 1771 in New England, and then spreading in popularity across the country to the West throughout the nineteenth century. This cake is not heavy like a true fruitcake, but more cake-like with spices, whisky and colorful dried fruits, making this a delicious and patriotic treat.

The recipe takes a good bit of time to make having several steps to it, but the end result is a very impressive tall, tube cake.  Most of the syrup that the fruits were soaked in is used to brush on the cake as it cools adding some additional flavor and moisture.  A small amount of the soaking syrup is also used to make the glaze topping. With whisky as a preservative and containing a good quantity of dried fruits that have been soaked in the whisky, the cake is definitely a keeper,  I mean it keeps well.

ELECTION DAY CAKE

YIELD:   Makes one 10-inch tube cake or bundt cake

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

    Cranberries, blueberries, and golden raisins soaked in American Whisky.

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups dried fruit, such as cranberries, golden raisins, and blueberries ( red, white and blue)
  • 1/2 cup American whiskey
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 package (3/4 ounce) rapid-rise yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, sifted
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 pound (1 stick) soft unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar for glaze

PREPARATION

1.  Grease a 10-inch tube pan or spray with non-stick baking spray and lightly flour.

2.  Combine 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar with the water  in a small saucepan.  Simmer over med-high heat until sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat.

3.  Place the dried fruit in a large bowl.  Add the sugar mixture and whiskey;  stir and set aside.

4.  In a measuring cup, combine the warm water and milk.

Add warm milk mixture to the yeast and whole wheat flour.

5.  Combine yeast with 1 cup of whole-wheat flour in a medium bowl.  Add the milk mixture and stir in.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup whole wheat flour on top.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup whole wheat flour over the top.

Set aside to allow the yeast to ferment until the  yeast breaks through the surface of the flour, approximately 30 minutes.  This is called a sponge.

“Sponge” is ready, when yeast breaks through top layer of flour.

6.  Sift together the remaining dry ingredients and set aside.

7.  Drain the fruit mixture; reserve the syrup for later use in the glaze.

8.  In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar until light in texture.  Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition.

Beating in the eggs one at a time.

9.  Turn the mixer to low speed and add the sponge; mix until fully combined.

Beating in the sponge and  dry ingredients.

Add the remaining dry ingredients.  The batter will be stiff.  Stir in the drained fruit.

Stir in the drained dry fruits.

10. Place the batter in the pan, cover, and set in a warm place to allow the cake to rise, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.***  I gave my dough the full two hours and it doubled in size.

Batter in the tube pan before rising.

11. Meanwhile, make the glaze:  In a medium bowl, combine the 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 Tablespoons of the reserved syrup drained from the fruit.  Stir until smooth and set aside.

12.Bake cake in a 350 degree oven for 45 – 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

A nice, tall tube cake after baking.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.  When cool, lightly brush the cake all over with reserved syrup, and finally top with glaze, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides.

Brush cake all over with the fruit syrup.

Frost with glaze, allowing some to drip down the sides.

A tender cake, studded with bits of fruit, and lightly sweetened by the glaze.

***TIP:  To provide a uniform temperature for yeast doughs to rise, set the bowl of batter on a heating pad set at LOW temperature. The microwave oven provides a draft free place to raise yeast doughs.  Works beautifully!

Cover yeast batter, place in microwave oven on a heating pad set at LOW temperature.

SOURCE:    About.com,    courtesy of Culinary Institute of America

Cranberry Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Carolyn's Originals, Sandwichs and tagged with , , , ,

Sandy has come and gone, but certainly won’t  be forgotten.  Good-bye to a not-so-nice lady!  I’m so thankful that we came through it in good shape.  Our only hardship was the loss of electricity for about 48 hours. Compared to other families who suffered extensive damage and even loss of life I feel particularly lucky.  The shorelines of Ct., New York and New Jersey were devastated and it will take a very long time- if ever- to get things back to normal.

In preparation for the super storm and the  likelihood of not having any power for some time, I roasted a chicken so I would have some meat to work with in creating other dishes. That worked out well because  I have a gas stove so we were in pretty good shape.   One of the lunches I fixed was this recipe for chicken salad sandwiches.

Cranberry Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich

Usually, when I make chicken salad I put in a little dried tarragon, along with the chopped celery, and green onion.  But this time I also added some dried cranberries.  The inspiration for this came from the fact that on my last trip grocery shopping I found a loaf of Cranberry Wheat bread.  This is available for a limited time from now through the Holidays, and I thought it would be good toasted,  but it also worked out very well as a backdrop to the chicken salad.

I served these yummy sandwiches with some sweet potato chips and apple cider.  For two people in the midst of a hurricane, this was quite a good lunch, if I do say so.  If you decide to try this, try to find bread or rolls with either cranberries or orange in it.  That seems to elevate the sandwich to something a little more special.

CRANBERRY TARRAGON CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

YIELD:   makes 4 sandwiches

This is what you do;

In a medium-size bowl, mix together all of the following:

  • about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken,  white and dark meat mixed
  • 1 rib celery, finely chopped, leaves included
  • 1 scallion, sliced,  white and green parts
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1 Tablespoon dried cranberries
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise, or more as needed to moisten it all.

Bread or rolls of choice, preferably with added cranberries.

Sweet potato chips make a nice accompaniment.

Substitute some of that left-over Thanksgiving turkey in place of the chicken, for another variation on this sandwich.

SOURCE:  A Carolyn Original

Cow Cafe

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Travel & Restaurants and tagged with , , , , ,

We had just parked the car along the street and were getting out when a woman walking by on the sidewalk said “have the Caramel Nut Pie a-la mode with Udder Pecan ice-cream,  it’s to die for.”  We looked at each other wondering what she was talking about, when we suddenly noticed we were standing in front of a window with a large black and white cow in it. A black and white Holstein awning shaded the window and the sign above the door said COW CAFE.

Holstein Cow in the window of Cow Cafe.

Realizing we were in front if an ice-cream shop, we held a mini-conference, took a vote, and unanimously decided to go inside for some ice cream.  I have to tell you that was one of the best decisions  we have ever made.

The overwhelming variety of flavors of ice-cream was mind-boggling, so I was very glad for the suggestion of the “woman on the street”, otherwise I might still be there trying to decide what to order.  Do you know how it is when you know you will only have one chance at something, and so you want desperately to get it right, and not be disappointed;  that it be the very best choice you could make?  That’s how it was.  So I took the woman’s advice, and ordered the “Caramel Nut Pie a-la Moo, with Udder Pecan Ice-cream.  My daughter ordered the same flavor of pie with Pumpkin Pie ice-cream.   We couldn’t have been more satisfied with our choices; it was indeed “to die for”.  Oh, and to the woman on the street, if you happen to be reading this, “thank-you, m’am”.

The pie was an apple pie with hugh chunks of nuts coated with crunchy caramel coating in a crust so flaky it fell apart on the fork. Caramel syrup was drizzled across the top.  The ice creams, both flavors, were  perfect accompaniments.

Caramel Nut Pie a-la Moo with Udder Pecan Ice-cream.

Caramel Nut Pie a-la Moo with Pumpkin Pie Ice-cream

As I sit here writing about it, my mouth is watering at the rememberance of it.  Reason enough to go back for another visit.   If I lived there I would want to go to this wonderful little spot, as often as possible, so its probably a good thing that I live so far away.

My husband, I don’t know how he can do this, but he ordered his usual  Hot Fudge Sundae with Vanilla Ice-cream.  He’s a “play-it-safe” kind of guy…however, he did request a taste of mine.:)

His Hot Fudge Sundae on the way to being devoured.

Our assessment of this little gem of an ice-cream shop?  It was an “utterly” unique experience.  Nestled in the cow country of New Bern, North Carolina ( or Moo Bern, as they say) Cow Cafe is the only “four-hoof restaurant ” in the world.  You will find it to be  a “mooving” experience.  They also serve sandwiches, wraps, salads and other light lunch items.  In addition, it includes a small gift boutique that features many bovine-inspired gifts.   You need not speak cow-language to enjoy a visit.

 

THE PLACE:       COW CAFE,  319 Middle Street, New Bern, N.C.

Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Muffins

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday, Snacks and tagged with , , , , ,

Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Muffins

I’ve just eaten one warm from the oven..I was patient just long enough to photograph them and then I HAD to have one.  Oh,Boy,  are they good!  Fall spices, apple and pumpkin married together, not too sweet, a tender crumb, and a crunchy crumb topping.  What else could you do to these to make them any better?   I think these are perfect anytime you want to have one.  At breakfast with coffee?  Mid-morning coffee break?  For Lunch with yogurt or cottage cheese perhaps?  For dessert after dinner—as I said, anytime at all.  You must make these now, before there’s no more pumpkin left on the store shelves.  You’ll be sorry if you don’t.
The recipe makes a batch of 18 muffins.  I thought that was a lot for just two of us, so I made half a recipe and got nine muffins. Now I wish I had made the whole thing and froze some.  Guess I’ll just have to make more to have on hand for Thanksgiving morning.

PUMPKIN-APPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS

YIELD   18 MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour  ( I used half white flour and half whole wheat)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups apple finely chopped

STREUSEL TOPPING

  • 2  Tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 teaspoons butter

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 18 muffin cups, or line with paper liners.

2.  Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  ( flour through salt)

Dry ingredients.

3.  Mix wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.  ( eggs, oil and pumpkin puree)

Wet ingredients.

4.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just to moisten.  Fold in apples.

Mix everything together. Fold in chopped apple.

5.  Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.

6.  Mix together the streusel ingredients to form coarse crumbs, and sprinkle on batter.  Pat lightly to adhere.

7.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes.  Test for doneness with a toothpick.  Cool slightly in pans and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.   Ha!  if you can wait that long!

SOURCE:  adapted from all recipes.com

Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with , , , , , ,

Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This dish is intended to be cooked in a slow-cooker.   I can remember only one other time in my whole cooking-lifetime that I made stuffed cabbage rolls, and they, too, were cooked in a slow-cooker.   On reading this recipe I was intrigued by the promise of sweet – sour combination of flavors, so I decided to give it a try.

First off, let me confess that I don’t know my way around cabbage very well.   Mostly what I do with it is make coleslaw, and I let my processor do the shredding for me.  I also sometimes coarsely shred it with a knife to cook with Kielbasa. That’s about the extent of my cabbage repertoire.   So what I’m trying to say is that I’m not very adept at shaping and rolling a filling into a cabbage leaf.  If you are someone who can do this very well, please don’t laugh when you see the photos of my endeavors.  After all, pretty doesn’t taste any better, does it?

Secondly, there are several steps involved in getting everything ready to go into the crockpot–the recipe predicts a prep time of 20 minutes–but it took me much longer, about 30 – 45 minutes.  Plan ahead if you are going to make this, or assemble it the night before and start cooking in the morning.

INGREDIENT LIST

  • 1 small – medium head of green cabbage

    Have all your ingredients ready.

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced.  I used a large shallot.
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cans tomato sauce, ( 8 ounce each)
  • 2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 slices reduced-calorie wheat bread.  I used one multi-grain wheat thin.
  • 1/3 cup skim milk
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 cups cooked egg noodles

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Boil cabbage 12 – 15 minutes, then drain well.  Carefully remove outer leaves–you will need about 12.  Remove tough stem from each leaf and set aside.  Shred the remaining cabbage and place in the bottom of the slow-cooker.

2.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large  non stick skillet over medium heat; cook onion 5 minutes.

Cooking the onion , garlic and seasonings.

Add garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg; cook 1 minute.  Remove half of this mixture and set aside.

Add tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar.

Stir tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar into skillet and remove from heat.

Use processor to make the meat filling.

3.  In a processor, pulse bread and milk until a paste is formed.  Add reserved onion mixture, beef, salt and pepper and pulse until well combined.

4.  With stem ends of cabbage leaves facing you, place 2 heaping Tablespoons of meat mixture in center of each leaf and roll up.

Meat filling rolled into the cabbage leaves.

5.  Place rolls, seam-side down, in slow cooker.  Pour sauce over all.

Pour tomato sauce over cabbage rolls in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.  Serve with egg noodles.

Serve over egg noodles.

Our assessment of this recipe:  First I think the name of this dish is a misnomer;  the flavor is more sweet than sour, but not overly sweet.  Secondly, we both thought the meat filling was very compact and dense.  If I were to make this again,  I would not mix the filling in a processor, but instead in a bowl, like making meatloaf.  It would then be lighter and more textured, perhaps adding some cooked white rice would help. The tomato sauce was flavorful with a faint hint of the cinnamon, which I thought complemented the cabbage.  When we ate the leftovers, I thought the whole dish tasted better the second time around, and the meat filling was more moist.

SOURCE:  Family Circle Magazine, November, 2012:  Slow Cooker Suppers

Baked Coconut French Toast

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Baked Coconut French Toast

Weekday mornings are so rushed with getting ready for work, breakfast is usually something quick like a scone or granola bar with coffee.  But on the weekend I like to make more complete breakfasts, to be enjoyed more leisurely.  This weekend I made this recipe for a baked French Toast that was fantastic!

The recipe was one that I had clipped out of a magazine some time ago and tucked into one of my (many) recipe books and forgot about.  While I was looking for another recipe this one fell out onto my lap.  When this kind of thing happens I take it as a sign that now is the right time to make it, and so I did.

Oh, what we’ve been missing all this time!…a little rich, a little high in fat and carbs, but we can fix that.  I’m printing the recipe as it was written, and then including my modifications for cutting back on fat, and sugar.  Here we go—-

BAKED COCONUT FRENCH TOAST

YIELD:  8 servings, 2 slices of French Toast

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 French bread baguette, (10 ounce size), sliced diagonally, 1-inch thick

  • Diagonally sliced French baguette

  •  cooking spray

  • 1 1/4 cups coconut milk  ( I used light coconut milk–less saturated fat)
  • 4 large eggs ( substitute with 1 1/4 cups egg substitute, or 2 eggs and 1/2 cup egg substitute)
  • 1/2 cup sugar  (you can reduce to 1/4 cup, especially if using syrup on your toast)
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1.  Arrange the slices of bread in a single layer in a 13″ x 9″ bake pan,  or 12″ x 8″ pan coated with cooking spray.

Arrange Bread slices in baking pan.

2.  Combine the coconut milk, eggs or egg substitute, sugar and vanilla, stirring with a whisk, and pour evenly over the bread slices.  Turn the bread over to coat both sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Pour egg and milk mixture over bread slices.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4.  Remove bread from refrigerator, and uncover.  Turn bread slices over, and sprinkle evenly with  flaked coconut.  Let it stand at room temperature 15 minutes.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until coconut is golden.

Turn bread over and sprinkle with coconut before baking.

Serve warm with a fresh fruit compote to complete a very enjoyable breakfast or brunch.

Serve with fresh fruit compote.

SOURCE:   Unknown

Waiting for Sandy

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

11:00am. ESDT.   I’m not in the habit of posting on Sunday, but I wanted to let you all know what may be happening in the next few days here on the East Coast.  Everyone seems to be scrambling around getting stocked up and filled up while we wait for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy.  I, like everyone else have done the same, so I’m as ready as I can be.  In addition to preparing for the storm, I baked yesterday for my father-in-law’s big birthday party which is today.  I finally decided to make apple cobbler cupcakes with caramel frosting, which I ‘ll be telling you about real soon.  For now though, I want you to know that I have a series of postings lined up to self-publish, however if we lose power for any length of time the internet will go out and you will not be hearing from me.

The weather here yesterday and today has been so weird.  The skies are dark and threatening with hugh dark clouds, but the air is so still; not a leaf is moving.  I guess that’s what is meant by the calm before the storm.

It is now 7:00pm EDST. and we have returned home from the party.  Outside a misty rain is falling and the wind is picking up.  Forecasters tell us to expect the storm to start earlier than previously predicted.  I took some photos of the sky on my way home to share with you.  As I close down my computer for the evening I will note that we are expectantly waiting, but hoping things do not get as bad as the weather forecasts are predicting.  I hope to be back on line and “talking” with you very soon.