Harvest Pumpkin Scones

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Muffins & Scones and tagged with breakfast, brunch, crystallized ginger, food, pumpkin, recipe, scones, snack, spices October 4, 2013

Harvest Pumpkin Scones

I do love pumpkin!!! So I’m wondering why it is that I seem to bake with it only in the fall. I know fall, October and pumpkins just go together, but pumpkin is available- the canned variety–all year long. Are you like that, too? I think it might be that pumpkin’s bright splash of color matches the vivid colors of autumn around the country. And as the landscape turns drab, pumpkin is still there giving us a lift.

Right now I have about six recipes lined up that include pumpkin, so if they turn out well, I think you’ll be seeing the results of my baking in the coming weeks.

This recipe is one of the first I tried. Mainly for two reasons: 1) I haven’t made scones in quite a while and these sounded really good to me, and 2) the recipe needs only part of a can of pumpkin, so I can make something else with the remainder. A sort of two-for-one deal. I try to match up recipes that each use only part of a can, so no pumpkin goes to waste. Otherwise I freeze the part I didn’t use for a later date.

This recipe did not let me down in the least. I knew that my expectations were met when they came out of the oven, a deep-gold color and with an aroma of all the spices they contain. Besides the cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg, I included some crystallized ginger and cinnamon chips to take their flavor over the top. These are way-good. :D. Make them soon and see if you don’t agree.

HARVEST PUMPKIN SCONES

Yield: 12 scones

Ingredients:

Whole allspice

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice**
1/2 cup cold butter
1 to 2 cups minced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, or chocolate chips
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
Ground fresh allspice
coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping

** I use whole allspice and grind it fresh as needed. The flavor is so much stronger and better than when you purchase the already ground variety.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

2. Work in the butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers, just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

Some larger pieces of butter are ok.

3. Stir in the ginger and/or chips, if you’re using them.

Mix in crystallized ginger and cinnamon chips.

4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Mix together the eggs and pumpkin.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment; or, if no parchment paper on hand, use the baking sheet without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.

6. Scrape the cough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5 – 6 inch circle, about 3/4’s-inch thick.

Divide dough into two 6-inch circles.

7. Brush each circle with a little milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Brush with a little milk or cream.

Coarse sugar (left), cinnamon sugar (right).

8. Using a knife or bench knife that you’ve run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.

Cut each circle into 6 wedges.

9. Carefully separate the wedges from each other just a little, with about 1/2″ space between them, at their outer edges.

10. For best texture and highest rise place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425*F

11. Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Isn’t that a beautiful rise?

12. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat briefly in the microwave, if desired.

A beautiful golden color.

P. S. If you’re making your own pumpkin puree from a fresh roasted pumpkin be aware that fresh pumpkin has a lot more liquid in it than canned, and should be drained throughly. You may use a colander, lined with coffee filters, or several layers of cheesecloth.

SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

There’s What in the Cake?

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes, Desserts and tagged with cake, dessert, food, recipe, spice cake, spices, Tomato Soup October 3, 2013

Bettcha can’t guess what’s in this cake! A secret ingredient that provides that extra moisture. Hint: Theme Thursday? Tomatoes?

A moist and flavorful spice cake.

Some of you may have guessed it by now, but maybe some of you have never heard of this recipe for Tomato Soup Cake that dates back quite a few years. It was popular when my Mom and Dad were young, and my mother used to make it when I was growing up. She got the recipe from my Dad’s mother. She made it about once a year, since it was my favorite cake and I always wanted it for my birthday. I loved it with walnuts and raisins in it and lots of cream cheese frosting.

The recipe got lost after a while, and when my children were young I wanted to make it for them, but couldn’t find the recipe. I was thrilled to find it on a web site called Heritage Recipes. We had a family birthday get-together last weekend, and I made this cake. The flavor and spiciness are just as I remember. It was like meeting an old friend again. If you are somewhat put off by using tomato soup in a cake, I promise you will never know its there. It just tastes like a wonderful spice cake. You must try it.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake

After having written the above introduction to this recipe I found another version of it using a spice cake mix, tomato soup, eggs and water. So that is the one I actually made since it was quick, but I am including both recipes here because I really want to save the original so it doesn’t get lost again. You can take your pick about which one to make, the quick version was also very moist and intensely spice flavored.

TOMATO SOUP SPICE CAKE

Yield:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ( 10.75 ounce ) can tomato soup, undiluted
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch cake pan.

2. Cream the shortening with the sugar using an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir baking soda into the tomato soup and add to shortening/sugar mixture.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Beat to blend well.

4. Stir in raisins and nuts.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350*F for 45-50 minutes, testing with a cake tester or toothpick for doneness.

5. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Quick Version:

1 ( 18.25 oz.) box Spice Cake Mix
1 ( 10.75 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease 2 8″ or 9″-round cake pans, or a 13 X 9″ cake pan.

Mix cake mix, soup, water and eggs as per package directions.

Mix all 4 ingredients together at medium speed.

Pour into prepared pan(s), and—-

Bake for 30 -35 minutes till it tests done with a toothpick.

Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

SOURCES: Heritage Recipes, and CampbellSoup.com

Crab Cake Sliders

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Sandwichs and tagged with bacon, Crab cake, food, Old Bay seasoning, recipe, sandwich, seafood October 2, 2013

Crab Cakes with BLT topping. Oh, Yum!

I was feeling a little “Crabby” today, which is to say that I was in the mood for some crab cakes. I love crab cakes, but most times when I’ve had them they contained chopped green or red peppers. In my opinion, the strong flavor of the pepper overwhelms the delicate flavor of the crabmeat, and so I’m disappointed. Whenever I’ve tried to make crab cakes at home I’ve had difficulty in getting them to hold a “patty” shape , while dipping in crumbs and frying them. Any that I’ve attempted fall apart before I’m finished with them.

So, OK, I gave up on making my own crab cakes. UNTIL I found this recipe for Crab Cake Sliders. While the idea of small sliders didn’t appeal to me, as in ” oh no, even smaller crab cakes to try to keep together”, there were aspects of this recipe that intrigued me and made me think that these just might be possible. First, I liked the combination of seasonings that go into them, secondly, some of the buns are broken up and used as a binder with the crabmeat, and lastly, there’s no peppers and no breading involved. These are formed, set to chill in the refrigerator for some time, then broiled. Finely they are enhanced by the addition of BACON, lettuce and sliced tomato. A BLT on a crab cake—whoever thought this up is at genius level. I wish I could take the credit, but sadly it goes to someone at Food Network Magazine.

Because I wanted to serve these as a main meal, I decided to form the crabmeat mixture into patties sized to fit onto regular sandwich rolls. I used my 1/2 cup measure to portion out the crabmeat onto the baking sheet, then flattened them slightly with a fork. This technique gave me 5 patties, with a tiny bit left over to nibble on. 😀 I will definitely keep this recipe readily at hand for when I’m entertaining and want to make sliders. The crab cakes held together better than any others that I’ve made, and the whole sandwich was filling and delicious. As good as I imagined they would be.

CRAB CAKE SLIDERS

Yield: Makes 15 sliders

Ingredients:

18 mini potato buns
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
All the ingredients.
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
1 large egg
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 green onion, sliced, green part only
kosher salt
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked through**
10 strips bacon
finely grated lemon zest
freshly ground black pepper
Sliced tomato and lettuce leaves, for topping

** I Use canned crab meat that I found in the seafood dept. of my supermarket. It was large pieces of lump crabmeat with no tendons or shell to pick over. A pound of readily usable crabmeat–a bargain in my estimate.

1. Prepare the crab cakes: Tear 3 buns (or similar amount of bread) into small pieces to make about 3/4 cup; put into a medium bowl. Whisk 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, the melted butter, egg, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, green onion, and salt in another small bowl.

Mayonnaise and seasonings mixture.

Add the mayonnaise mixture to the bun pieces and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, then gently fold in the crabmeat.

2. Brush a baking sheet with some melted butter. Tightly pack the crab mixture into 15 small patties and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Arrange the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden and slightly crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate, reserving about 1 Tablespoon of the drippings. Break each piece of bacon into thirds; set aside. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise, the lemon zest, and the reserved bacon drippings in a bowl; season with salt an pepper.

4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the remaining 15 buns cut side up on a baking sheet; Brush with butter and broil until golden. Transfer the crab cakes to the broiler and cook, rotating the pan as needed, until golden and warmed through, about 6 minutes.

5. Spread the cut sides of the buns with some of the lemon mayonnaise. Serve the crab cakes on the buns with tomatoes, lettuce and bacon. SIGH!

Good beyond words. 😀

I served these with my homemade refrigerator dill pickles and a green salad. Fantastic meal!

SOURCE: Food Network Magazine, June 2013

Chocolate Plum Cake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with cake, chocolate, dessert, food, recipe. plums, stone fruits October 1, 2013

Chocolate Plum Cake

The last day of summer has come and gone and we are now officially into the fall season. However stone fruits are still widely available at the farm stands in my area and in the supermarkets. All these fruits reach their peak of ripeness in the summer sun, and they are delicious and appealing when you cook with them. They lend themselves to every kind of preparation: poaching, sautéing, roasting, grilling, and baking. So you can work them into your early fall dessert recipes.

In this recipe for Chocolate Plum Cake you can interchange the fruits, and perhaps use nectarines instead of plums. I decided to make it with plums because I have always enjoyed chocolate with wine; port wine or other dessert wine goes best with chocolate. Since purple plums have a sweet, wine-like flavor they pair beautifully with chocolate in this moist, single-layer cake. Another stone fruit that would work well here is the pluot–a cross between apricots and plums. They are now sold in many supermarkets in the summer.

I loved making the batter for this cake. There is only 1/4 cup flour (whole wheat) in it. The rest of the dry ingredients consist of ground almond flour, with baking powder and a little salt. This makes the texture of the cake very fine and a little crumbly. Almond is not noticeable in the taste, instead you’re bombarded with dense chocolate. The recipe calls for chocolate that is at least 64% cocoa, but I had a bar that was 70% cocoa, so I used that. With baking, the plums become tender and retain their juiciness. Oh, boy, this is good!

Tender and moist cake, juicy plums.

CHOCOLATE PLUM CAKE

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 stick softened butter, divided (7 Tablespoons plus 1 Tablespoon.)
Beautiful black plums and chocolate. Yum-yum!!
4 black or purple plums
1 Tablespoon, plus 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup almond meal**
1/4 cup buckwheat or whole-wheat flour##
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3.5 ounces dark chocolate ( around 64% cocoa content), melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
Garnish: confectioners’ sugar

** Almond meal – also called almond flour–is sold in the health-food aisle of many supermarkets. The brand I used is by Bob’s Red Mill. You can substitute other nut meals, or make your own by pulsing blanched almonds in a food processor until finely ground but not yet nut butter.

## Substitute a gluten-free baking mix for the flour and this can be a gluten-free dessert.

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Butter a 9 – inch round cake pan; then line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a frying pan, melt 1 Tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the plums, cut side down, and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. Cook 2 minutes and flip onto the other side. Continue to cook 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Sauté the plums in butter and sugar.

3. In the bowl of your mixer beat the remaining 7 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup sugar until pale in color. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go. Stir in the melted chocolate and then the heavy cream.

Mix melted chocolate and cream into the batter.

4. Add the dry ingredients, and stir until the batter is smooth.

Almond flour as oart of the dry ingredients.

Almond flour as part of the dry ingredients.

Pour into the prepared pan and arrange the sautéed plums on top, cut side up.

Pour into a round baking pan.

Arrange plums on top.

Drizzle any pan juices over the plums.

5. Bake until the blade of a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool 5 minutes before removing it from the pan, Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Each wedge gets a half plum.

SOURCE: slightly modified from Yankee Magazine

Apple Oat Cinnamon Bread

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bread, Rolls and tagged with apple, bread, food, oatmeal, recipe, Sandwiches, toast September 27, 2013

Apple-Oat Cinnamon Bread

Dear readers, I have a confession to make. I am a bread snob! I am mildly ashamed to admit it, but it’s true. I am a person who loves bread, but not white bread, only artisanal or whole grain breads will do. For me, white bread is boring, bland, Blah! Therefore I either buy my bread at a good bakery, or make my own. That is what led me to make this wonderful bread that contains apple, oats and cinnamon.

The cloudless blue sky and brisk air this week has made me think of the kids gone back to school, and getting lunches ready. When I was in grade school I always brought my lunch, carefully packed by my mother. One of my favorites was her homemade raisin bread with peanut butter and jelly or cream cheese and cherries. I considered myself lucky to be one of the “brown baggers”, not one of those kids who purchased weekly lunch tickets, which entitled them to “hot lunches”. No sir, the sloppy joes, canned corn, tuna noodle casserole, applesauce , and jello were not for me. I much preferred Mom’s carefully handcrafted sandwiches, or sometimes hot soup in a thermos bottle.

So now when September rolls around, I remember those days and long for home baked bread. After a summer of grilled chicken and Caesar salads, it’s time for my comfort food, the sandwich.

Apples and oats both team up happily with cinnamon, so why not put them all together in a soft, tasty loaf? A touch of maple syrup sweetens the loaf, while walnuts add crunch. A slice of this, toasted for breakfast is wonderful, and of course, sandwiched with peanut butter and jelly it can’t be beat.

APPLE OAT CINNAMON BREAD

YIELD: 16 – 18 slices

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup nonfat milk powder
2 Tbsp. potato flour, (optional, for softer texture)
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup finely diced peeled apple (about 1 medium apple)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. In a large mixing bowl, or in the bucket of your bread machine, combine all of the ingredients, mixing and kneading to make a fairly smooth (though quite sticky), elastic dough. I used my bread machine set to the “dough” cycle. If you’re using a mixer, knead for about 7 minutes at medium speed; the dough will never completely clear the sides of the bowl.

2. Transfer the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for 1 hour or until it’s quite puffy.

3. After the first rise, gently deflate the dough, and shape it into a 9-inch log. If using a bread machine, remove dough, deflate and shape as described.

After first rise form dough into a 9-inch log.

Place dough into a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow the loaf to rise until it’s crested about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.

Cover with greased plastic wrap and put in a warm place to raise again.

What you see here is my loaf inside the microwave, on a heating pad set to “low”. Close the door and keep it warm inside. You’ll get a beautiful rise for all your yeast dough(s).

Mine rose really high!!

4. Bake the bread in a preheated 350*F oven for 45 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil after about 20 minutes, to prevent over-browning.** Remove bread from the oven when its internal temperature registers 190*F on an instant-read thermometer. After about 5 minutes, turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

**A work of caution here: When you tent the bread with foil, be sure the top has baked enough to hold itself up, else the weight of the foil may cause the loaf to collapse. You can see in my pictures that is what happened to mine. Prior to putting it into the oven it had risen beautifully, but because the dough is “airy”, it had not baked enough to hold itself up before I covered it with the foil. The excess dough rolled to the sides and down over the edges of the pan, giving the bread a “flat-top”. A lesson learned! It still tasted fabulous, though.

Everything about this bread is so good; color, flavor, texture. (Except the “flat top”.) 😀

SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

Tomato Curry Soup

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Carolyn's Originals, Soups and tagged with Curry, dinner, food, meatless, recipe, soup, Tomato Soup, vegan, vegetarian September 26, 2013

Fresh Tomato Curry Soup

Here we are again, Theme Thursday, and the theme is still tomatoes. Today I have a recipe for Tomato Soup with the added flavor of curry to give it a little zing.

The inspiration for this soup came in a brown paper bag, a plain brown wrapper you might say, but there was nothing naughty inside. No, I’m happy to tell you the bag was full of ripe tomatoes. A friend, going away for a few days, picked all the ripe tomatoes from her garden, and brought them to me, knowing that I would make good use of them. Such a good friend! My creative juices started flowing and looking for recipes for tomatoes I found several for soup. I liked something about this one, and something about that one, but not everything about any one of them. So how did I choose which one to make? I didn’t. I made a merger, taking a little from here and a little from there, and came up with this idea for a tomato soup.

Using a large onion chopped, I sautéed it in butter then added the curry powder, stirred it around for a minute or so to blend flavors, added the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth and let it simmer a while. So simple, and yet so good.

I used 2 1/2 pounds of fresh tomatoes with skins removed, and seeds squeezed out, but the really nice thing is that you can use canned crushed tomatoes ( 28 oz. can), and have this soup anytime you want it. You don’t need to wait for tomato season to roll around. I also used chicken broth, but, here too, you can make a substitution and use vegetable broth instead for a vegetarian/vegan soup. Since I associate curry with Indian cookery, and sour cream is also widely used in Indian cookery, at serving time I swirled a little sour cream into each bowl of soup and sprinkled on chopped chives for garnish.

We enjoyed this soup totally, and along with it I made a pretty spectacular grilled cheese sandwich, using kale, caramelized onions and cheese. Wow!! Stop back next week when I’ll have that recipe ready for you. For now, here’s the soup.

Rich, deep tomato flavor. The curry is mild, but you can add more if you like.

TOMATO CURRY SOUP

Yield: serves 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds tomatoes, onion, butter, chicken broth and curry seasoning.

2-3 pounds tomatoes, onion, butter, chicken broth and curry seasoning.

1/2 cup ( 1 medium) onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter ( 1/2 stick)
2 teaspoons curry powder ( more if you like)
2 – 3 pounds fresh tomatoes, skinned and seeds squeezed out, ( or use 1 28 -oz. can crushed tomatoes)
1 32-oz. container chicken stock or vegetable stock
1/4 cup sour cream
chopped chives for garnish

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Sauté onion in butter until transparent. Add in curry powder, stirring over low heat for 1 – 2 minutes to blend flavors.

2. Add tomatoes and chicken stock. Break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon as much as possible. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 15 – 20 minutes. You can smooth out the soup by pureeing in a blender or use an immersion blender. Otherwise serve as is; it will be a little chunky.

3. Ladle into serving bowls, swirl in 1 – 2 teaspoons sour cream. Garnish with chopped chives.

If you like tomato soup, you will like this.

Source: a Carolyn Original

Gardener’s Ratatouille

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Side Dish, Vegetables and tagged with eggplant, food, healthy, Low calorie, low carb, low fat, Ratatouille, recipe, side dish, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian September 25, 2013

Gardner’s Ratatouille

What could be better at this time of year than Ratatouille, a vegetable stew. Using all the fresh vegetables that are so plentiful now, I made up a large pan of this dish. We love it when I first make it, and we like it even better the second time around when the flavor seems to get even better.

Extras can be slowly reheated very successfully, but it is actually quite good served cold. We particularly enjoy folding the leftovers inside a croissant, for a light lunch. If you wish you can turn this dish into a hearty meal by adding some protein such as grilled sausages during the final stage of cooking.

The ingredients listed provide a guideline; you can change up the vegetables to suit your taste, or what’s available when you make it. For instance I used yellow summer squash instead of zucchini. A red pepper can take the place of a green pepper. One thing you must do, if making this dish, is use lots of fresh herbs. Unfortunately I didn’t have any fresh oregano, so I used dried, ( 1 teaspoon), but I did use fresh basil and parsley. Fresh herbs make a hugh difference in the taste.

Also, you know how eggplant can soak up a lot of oil, well this recipe only uses 2 teaspoons olive oil to sauté the onions, the rest of the moisture comes from the vegetables as they are cooked slowly while covered, and the eggplant takes on the flavors of the vegetables and herbs it is cooked with. Also, be sure to cut all the vegetables the same size to ensure even cooking.

GARDENER’S RATATOUILLE

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
Beautiful Fresh Vegetables
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chopped plum tomato ( about 1 pound, or 3 tomatoes)
2 cups chopped peeled eggplant (aubergine)
1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

Saute onions, then add tomatoes

Add tomato, eggplant, pepper, squash, and garlic. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer slowly about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in all the remaining vegetables.

2. When vegetables are tender, stir in oregano and remaining ingredients; cook, uncovered 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.

Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Serving size: 3/4 cup. Calories, 91, Fat, 3 g, Protein, 2.8g., Carb 16g.. Fiber 4.6 g., Sodium 308 mg.

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Magic Pumpkin Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with Bar cookies, chocolate chip, cookie, dessert, food, magic bars, pumpkin, recipe September 24, 2013

Magic Pumpkin Bars

It seems now that Fall weather has set in recipes featuring pumpkin in some form or other are flooding the air-waves, web and periodicals. Well, not to be left out, I wanted to get in on the fun of baking something with pumpkin.

You know what magic cookie bars are, right? They’re also known as 7-layer bars. But I like to call them magic cookie bars because 1) they don’t always have 7 layers, and 2) the sweetened condensed milk performs the magic by tying all the layers together.

Let’s start by reviewing all the layers in this version, OK?

1. Gingersnap Crust. I think that gingersnap and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. They were made for each other.

2. The chips. White chocolate chips, preferred for color contrast and silky texture. However, the day I made these bars I plunged into making them without checking and found I was out of white chips, so used chocolate instead. But then, chocolate also goes well with pumpkin. So use what ever kind you prefer or have on hand.

3. Pecans, (or any nuts, really). You gotta have them, especially in a fall dessert.

4. Coconut. This is totally optional, but it’s usually found in magic bars.

5. Toffee Bits. In my opinion, you can never have enough of these. See #3.

6.. Pumpkin. Come on……they are called pumpkin magic bars.

7. Sweetened condensed milk. The top and final layer; the tie that binds it all together! In this recipe it gets mixed with the pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice and poured over the top.

Fudgy, chewy. I love the way all the layers blend together.

MAGIC PUMPKIN BARS

Yield: 12 -16 bars

Ingredients:

Get all the ingredients ready.

25 gingersnaps
2 Tbsp. sugar
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2 Grind gingersnaps to a fine crumb in a food processor. Mix with sugar and melted butter. Press into prepared pan.

3. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, and toffee bits over the top of the crust.

4. Whisk pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and condensed milk in a small bowl or measuring cup and pour over the top of the bars.

All layered up and ready for the oven.

5. Bake for 29 – 31 minutes, until edges have started to brown. Cool completely before cutting. Using edges of foil, lift completely from the pan to a cutting surface and using a bench knife or other sharp knife, cut into 12 or 16 squares.

Use the foil “handles” and lift the whole square out of the pan for ease in cutting.

Looking sooo good!

These are surprisingly not too sweet.

SOURCE: Crazy For Crust

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals and tagged with Broccoli, dinner, food, quick meal, recipe, Shrimp, Stir Fry September 20, 2013

Shrimp and broccoli stir-fry.

I really like to make stir-fries for several reasons: they’re quick to cook, and they can be very nutritious with all the vegetables you can add in to them. Also they are a way to use up small amounts of ingredients you may have on hand, and you can vary the protein component every time you make it.

This week I made a stir-fry of predominantly broccoli and shrimp which are a popular duo. But I also added scallions and carrots, all in a soy sauce base to round out this low-fat recipe. Served over brown rice, it was quick, colorful, nutritious, and delicious, not to mention economical. You can’t ask for better than that, in my opinion.

STIR-FRIED SHRIMP AND BROCCOLI

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Not many ingredients.

1 pound fresh or frozen medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar, or 1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup thinly bias-sliced carrot
1/3 cup sliced scallions
2 cups hot cooked rice, preferably, brown rice
1/4 cup cashews or sliced almonds, optional

Directions:

1. Thaw shrimp if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp Pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine water, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar; set aside

3. Heat oil in a wok or a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add broccoli, carrot and scallions. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon.

Lightly cook the broccoli and carrots and set aside.

4. Stir soy sauce mixture. Add to skillet; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add shrimp; cook about 3 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

Precook the shrimp and scallions and set aside.

Return vegetables to skillet; heat through.

Add everything back into the skillet or wok.

Serve with rice and sprinkle with cashews or almonds, if using.

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Fresh Herbed Heirloom Tomatoes with Goat Cheese Crostini

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Appetizers, Salads and tagged with Appetizer, crostini, food, goat cheese, recipe, salad, tomatoes, vegetarian September 19, 2013

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese Crostini

Today’s post features tomatoes used as a salad. Everyone it seems is familiar with Caprese Salad, that includes mozzarella cheese and basil along with the tomatoes, but this one depends on the tomatoes alone to carry the responsibility for the whole salad. Fresh tomatoes are dressed with a flavorful drizzle of lemon and herbs, and served with toasted baguette (crostini) spread with goat cheese. This is so good, I can’t wait to make it again, and again while fresh tomatoes are still available.

Please try to use heirloom tomatoes, in varied colors if possible, for the most beautiful presentation. Of course, any fresh tomatoes will do nicely, but I really like the colors you get in heirlooms. This recipe certainly illustrates the phrase, “less is more”, because the simple lemon-herb dressing perfectly enhances the sweetness of the tomatoes, and that would be enough. But don’t stop there; make the crostini because the crunch of toasted baguette and the smooth tanginess of goat cheese is a perfect companion to the tomatoes. In my version, seen here, I used herb-seasoned goat cheese.

I think this would make a light, appetizing and different appetizer, and If I were to serve it in that way, I would dice the tomatoes instead of slicing them, and serve them in a small glass to be eaten with a small spoon, with the crostini on the side.

HERBED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES WITH GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Heirloom tomatoes in many sizes and colors.

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette
4 tsp. goat cheese, divided ( used goat cheese with herbs if possible)
20 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.

2. Place the first 5 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

3. Place the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350*F for 7 minutes or until crisp. Spread 1/2 teaspoon goat cheese over each slice.

4. Divide tomatoes evenly among 4 salad plates. Drizzle each serving with 1 Tablespoon herbed oil. Sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper. Garnish each plate with 2 crostini.

In my rendition of this delightful salad, I served the whole salad on a large platter, so all the colors of the tomatoes would be seen.

I just love this, it’s so pretty; almost too pretty to eat!

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Delicious on a Dollar

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

Tag Archives: food

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Fresh Herbed Heirloom Tomatoes with Goat Cheese Crostini

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