Goodies!

I love trying new things during the holidays!  This year I have an extra special reason to try some treats from afar - Hannah!  Hannah is from Norway and is spending the school year with us while participating in the Aspect Foundation Exchange Student program.  From the day we picked her up at the airport she has been a natural addition to our family.  What better way to say "I love you" than to bake something special just for her!

Norwegian Butter Squares

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Raw sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Chill a baking sheet in the freezer.  Do not grease or line the baking sheet.  Blend the butter, egg, sugar and salt together until it is creamy.  Add the flour and vanilla and mix using your hands until the mixture holds together in a large clump.  Still using your hands, press the dough out onto the chilled baking sheet until it is even and 1/4 inch thick.  Dust the top evenly with raw sugar.  Bake at 400F until the edges turn a golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

I was surprised how simple they were to make!  In fact, they were so easy I put them in the oven and whipped up a batch of toffee at the same time!  The toffee needs to cook, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes so it was perfect timing.  Poured the toffee, pulled the squares out of the oven and there you have it, two Christmas goodies simultaneously!

Taking the picture on the pot holder Hannah brought me from Norway just seemed like the natural backdrop!

Today I am being productive!

Simplicity

Mom always said the best things come in small packages.  I think the same can be said for food - sometimes the tastiest nibbles are the simplest of ingredients.  Simple is good!  Especially during the holidays when there are so many traditional treats that generally take a lot of preparation to make it just like grandma did.

I found a new treat this year that will definitely be on the goody trays from now on.  Simple!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bugles

1 bag of Bugles

1 bag of milk chocolates (I used Bliss)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp milk

Colorful Sprinkles (optional)

In a small bowl combine the peanut butter and powdered sugar.  Add the milk and stir until smooth.  Let the mix sit for 1-2 minutes then stir again and add more milk if necessary.  Using a piping bag, or ziploc bag with the edge snipped off, pipe the peanut butter mixture into the bugles.  Unwrap the chocolate and melt for 1 minute on 50% power.  Stir and repeat until chocolate is melted.  You may want to do the chocolate in small batches so it doesn't become hardened to quickly.  Dip the peanut butter end of the bugle into the melted chocolate then into the sprinkles and set on a wax paper lined baking sheet.  Place in the freezer until set.  Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag to prevent bugles from getting stale.

That's it!  Once you do a few of them you get the hang of the piping and dipping and you'll have a pile before you know it.  Well, as long as you can keep from munching on them as you go along!

Time To Play

It's now the time of year to PLAY in the kitchen!  I call it playing because it's all about pleasure and fun, sweets and candy, all the "good stuff"!  I start out the first week or so of December making samples of the goodies I will put on the Christmas Gift Trays.  This year has been no different even with the huge 50th Birthday Party and the Master Chef audition!

I started with possibly the best cookie I've ever made in my life!  And I've made a lot of cookies!!  The flavor is spicy and warm, the texture is chewy and crispy and trust me, you can't eat just one!  Rachel said they are perfect Christmas cookies because they sparkle like they have snow on them!

Ginger Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and molasses and mix until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.  Form, or scoop, balls the size of a walnut.  Roll in granulated sugar to coat.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet 2" apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Everybody took one bite and started grabbing more - I couldn't make them fast enough!  This recipe doesn't make very many either, depending on your scoop size, so you may want to double it right from the beginning. 

Be prepared to bite into the best cookie you've ever made!

Party Food

I need to start dropping recipes on here like there's no tomorrow! I have so many and I'd like to have a place to go to review and find them all besides my jumbled up messy binder! This is a much better place and they're in neat little categories that I get to pick!

So here's one that's become a favorite of everybody's since Halloween. The Pirate party this year led to some creative and fun food that I'll get on this blog eventually!  This stew was exceptional though, I even took it with me for the Master Chef casting call. Guess it wasn't "fancy" enough for them but it sure is for us!

Salmagundi (Pirate Stew)

1 lb bottom round, cut into 1" chunks

1/2 lb hard salami, cut into 1" chunks

12 medium shrimp, raw

6 cups beef broth, fat free (approx.)

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 parsnips, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup cream (optional)
1tbsp salt

In a large skillet, sear the meat in 1 tsp oil.  Place the meat in a stockpot when seared.  Add one cup of the broth to the skillet to deglaze.  Pour the broth into the stockpot with the meat, adding more broth if needed until the liquid is just below the surface of the meat.  Bring it to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, add 1 tsp of oil to the same skillet.  Add the vegetables and cook until the onions are completely translucent.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Season with salt.

After the meat has cooked one hour, add the vegetables to the stockpot, adding more broth to cover.  Simmer uncovered for another 45 minute until the meat is very tender and falls apart when prodded with a fork.  Add the salami, shrimp and wine.  Simmer another 10-15 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.  Add additional salt if needed.  Optional:  add cream in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.  This dish serves about ten 1 1/2 cup servings and provides 9 WW+ points.

Now of course pirates served this with Sea Biscuits (hard inedible pieces of dough) but we landlubbers prefer a nice soft buttermilk biscuit or sourdough bread to sop up all those wonderful juices.  And don't forget the orange slices to prevent scurvy!  Arrrrgggghhhh!!

While the judges at Master Chef weren't impressed with this creation, you will be!  The hard salami adds a depth of flavor that you don't find in any other stew.  Enjoy!

Changing Direction

Sometimes the direction we are going is perfect, heading down that golden paved road with nothing but sunshine and roses along the way.  We vow to stay on that path forever, then all of a sudden there's road construction and we have to take a detour!

The first detour (aka straying off the healthy eating) has finally ended after a couple weeks and I'm back on the golden road!  The second detour is going to be a little longer and involves three very beautiful blessings...  grandchildren!  As we were heading down that golden road towards empty nest and teaching the girls independence, our three grandchildren (ages 7, 5 and 2) have joined us!  Talk about detour (and chaotic road construction)!

So after a five day camping trip of wonderful dutch oven cooking and over-indulging in the snack department, here's the meal that got us all back on track!

Orange Herb Pork Tenderloin

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 lb pork tenderloin

2 cups orange juice

1 cup chicken broth, fat free

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp oregano

Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a large zip lock bag, combine 1 tbsp of the olive oil with the garlic.  Add the pork, turning to coat completely, and refrigerate for one hour.  After marinating, remove the pork from the bag and season with salt and pepper.  In a medium oven proof skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the pork and cook until richly browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.  Add the orange juice, wine, broth and herbs and bring to a boil.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 35 minutes or until the center of the tenderloin reaches 145F.  Remove the pork from the skillet and strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan.  Boil the sauce until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes.  If a thicker sauce is desired, mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of orange juice and add to the sauce, simmering until thickened.  Slice the tenderloin evenly and top with sauce.

This was a perfect dinner over mashed potatoes (made with potatoes and cauliflower) to remind me how easy eating healthy is.  The sauce is rich with a ton of flavor that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy!  Each serving of pork and sauce is only 5 pointsplus leaving plenty of room for the mashed potatoes or even some rice.

Although we're still on a detour, we're going to do our best to enjoy the new scenery until the golden road is finished being reconstructed! 

Winning Is Everything

When cooking, why would we ever want to lose?  Winning is definitely the goal in mind!  The other options just don't seem to be quite as satisfying!  Now that's not to say that sometimes things don't turn out quite as planned and you end up with a whole different and new creation - those times are awesome.  I'm speaking merely of disasters...  inedibles...  black where black doesn't belong!  In those cases, winning is everything!

Last night I won!

Whenever I've attempted to make Chinese food it's always been referred to as Stir Fry.  Why?  We don't order Stir Fry from the Chinese shop menu do we?  Is it even an item on the menu?  Where did the term come from?  Maybe I should look that up before I post this?  Make it an educational post too!  Anyway, last night I didn't make stir fry, I made Chinese Food!  I finally got the taste AND texture of my favorite dish, I won!

Cashew Chicken

6 tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 tbsp sherry (or chicken stock)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 lb chicken breasts, cubed
3 tbsp cornstarch, divided
2/3 cup chicken broth, fat free
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp canola oil, divided
2 cups fresh snow peas
2 celery stalks, sliced

3 medium carrots, julienned
8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts
2/3 cup cashews
1 cup rice

2 cups chicken broth, fat free

~  In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 4 tbsp soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil and 1 tbsp cornstarch; add chicken.  Toss chicken to coat with the marinade.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
~  Cook rice as directed on the package, or rice cooker, using the chicken broth for the liquid.
~ In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2/3 cup broth until smooth.  Stir in the sugar, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, ginger, salt and remaining soy sauce; set aside.
~ Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade.  Rinse the chicken lightly with cold water to remove excess cornstarch.  (The cornstarch is what gives the chicken the "Chinese Food" texture - ancient Chinese secret!)
~ In a large non-stick wok or skillet, stir fry the chicken in 1 tsp of oil until it is no longer pink.  Remove from pan and add the peas and carrots.  Fry until crisp tender, then add the water chestnuts.
~ Return the chicken to the pan and add the cashews.  Stir the sauce mixture and then add it to the chicken and vegetables.  Bring it to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until it is thickened. Serve over rice.

Notice I snuck the secret in there!?  I learned that secret a long time ago and I can't believe what it does to the chicken!  You'll have to try it with thin sliced beef for Beef and Broccoli and let me know how it is!

So there you have it - my winning dish!  With 1/2 cup of rice and plenty of the chicken it's only 9 points plus!  That even leaves room for a little extra chicken without the rice - and trust me, you're going to want just a few extra bites!

Birthday Cake

Does everybody celebrate their birthday with cake? Is it okay to say you don't want cake?

I'm sure glad my friend told me no to the cake! Her birthday wish was that I cook dinner for her and make her a dessert "something like flan", she hinted. Well, it just so happened that my mom had told me the last time she had my flan that she would never order it in a restaurant again! So with my friend's wish and mom's praise dessert was going to be a breeze!

Yep, you guessed it, too easy! My challenge was going to be making it a little less calorie laden (I won't say healthy here). I always have fat free half and half on hand so I decided to use that and hope for the best! It worked beautifully!! Mom never guessed and after her third serving my friend hadn't a clue either - I was happy! Then, I got up this morning and while drinking my coffee decided to try again... even lower!

Upside Down Creme Brulee (Flan)
1/4 cup sugar (plus 2 tsp for caramelizing)
1 cup half and half, fat free
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
3/4 tsp vanillaPinch of salt

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of sugar in the bottom of 4 ramekins. With a torch, moving the flame in slow spirals, caramelize the sugar in each ramekin until amber or dark amber beads form over the entire bottom surface. Set them aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 300F. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of sugar and the half and half. Stir while heating over medium-high heat until almost to the boiling point. Set aside to cool. In another bowl, briskly stir the egg beaters, vanilla and salt. Continue stirring while adding the cream mixture in a slow thin stream. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and fill the ramekins, pouring gently. Place ramekins in a baking dish and then fill the baking dish with hot water until 1/2 way up the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes (more or less depending on the depth of the ramekins) until the centers are softly set. They should jiggle slightly. Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the water for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the baking dish and cover with plastic wrap before placing in the refrigerator. (They are also great room temperature!) To unmold them, hold the bottom half of the ramekin in a bowl of hot tap water for a count of 20. Then, with a small paring knife, go around the edge of each custard. Turn the ramekin over in the center of a dessert plate. If the custard does not fall out, gently lift one edge of the custard with the paring knife to release the vacuum.

Wow, that's a lot of directions! Hopefully I got everything and they turn out perfectly like mine did!

This amazing tasting dessert is only 3 points plus per serving! Only 3!
Would that be considered healthy?

Happy Birthday!