Pistachio Biscotti

Hey everybody, sorry for the long wait, but life happens.  While Tom and I were away for a vacation in late June/early July, my friend from Suburbia Roller Derby, Philbotomy, looked over our cats for the week.  I paid him with pistachio and almond  biscotti.  This first recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens Anyone Can Bake book (I think it was the first baking book I ever bought).  I found this recipe to be a little more difficult than the recipe I will post next.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (optional, but I suggest you use it)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease one large cookie sheet, set aside.  In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Place eggs and yolks in the well;  stir into the flour mixture.  Add butter and lemon peel.  Stir until dough starts to form a ball.  Stir in pistachios.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface;  divide dough into thirds.

Shape each portion into a 14-inch log.  Place logs about 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet;  flatten logs slightly until about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until firm and light brown.  Remove from oven and place cookie sheet on a wire rack;  let cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Turn cookies over, bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until crisp and golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 

Some came out crumbly, but they still tasted delicious!  Enjoy!

Strawberry Power Pina Colada Smoothie

This was my breakfast this morning, and it was delicious, I didn't even need to add agave nectar, honey, or stevia to make it sweet.  My husband bought me Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry by Elana Amsterdam about a month ago.  She's also the author of the Gluten-Free Cupcakes and Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, as well as a food blogger of www.elanaspantry.com. 

At first I wasn't sure what the paleo diet was, but apparently it is a gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and legume-free diet.  The diet also avoids processed food, but we all should avoid those type of foods.  Anyway, this recipe has a lot of coconut ingredients, but I honestly didn't taste any of it.  It wasn't an overwhelming flavor, you taste the pineapple and strawberries more.  It also called for egg white protein powder, but I just used my rice protein powder instead. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 3/4 cup bottled coconut water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries ( I used fresh to avoid brain freeze.)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup or 1 serving of rice protein powder (I used the vanilla flavored one by NutriBiotic.)

Puree in a blender and enjoy! Serves two just in case you wanted to know.  ;-)

Thin Mints done the Babycakes way

I have always been a fan of all things mint, especially with chocolate, and the Girl Scouts' Thin Mint cookies fit that category.  This recipe was very easy to make, but I feel like the cookies turned out too minty.  I don't know if there was a typo in my Babycakes Covers the Classics cookbook or not, but there was too much mint extract added.  Other than that, the cookies turned out really well.  A lot of my husband's co-workers really enjoyed them. 

Here's what you'll need for the cookies and the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
• 1 cup sugar (If you want to keep it vegan buy "evaporated cane juice")
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup arrowroot
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil or canola oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons mint extract (I would use less, maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons)

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.  Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.  Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Gently flatten each mound of dough, smoothing the edges with your fingers.  

Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7 minutes more.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and mint extract in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.  Stir until the chocolate chips are just melted.  Do not overcook.  Remove from heat.  Dunk the top of each cookie into the melted chocolate or spread it over them (I found the latter easier).  Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes on a platter, or until the chocolate sets.

Enjoy!

Banana Cake with Coconut Topping

This is another Penzeys recipe which came from their Early Summer catalog.  The recipe is from the kitchen of Ceci Droll, and I think might be one of the best cakes I've made thus far.  It got great raves and reviews from my family when I brought it over for a Sunday night dinner.  I really don't know how to describe this cake, it was just delicious.  I'm not usually a big fan of coconut, but it worked really well with this cake.
Here's what you'll need for the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Spice (Penzeys) (I added this, it wasn't in the original recipe)
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, sour cream or plain yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup very ripe, squished banana (2-3 bananas)

Here's what you'll need for the topping:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (I used unsweetened and it was fine)
• 5 tablespoons milk 

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9"x13" pan and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and beat well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.  Gradually beat into the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.

Stir in the vanilla and banana and mix until just combined. 

Pour into the pan and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until browned and springy to the touch.  Let the cake cool before frosting.

For the topping:  Turn your oven to low broil.  Beat together the melted butter and brown sugar.  Stir in the nuts, coconut and enough milk to get a nice spreading consistency.

Spread over the cake.  Place under the broiler until bubbly, 5-10 minutes depending on your oven.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Chipotle Marinaded Chicken

Once again, it's been a while since I last updated my blog.  A lot has been going on in my life, so I apologize if some of my posts are a month late on here.  This recipe comes from Penzey's.  It comes from a person named Fran Timme.  The marinade is very versatile, it can also be used on pork tenderloin or pork chops.  Since I don't eat pork I couldn't tell you how it turns out on it.  It did turn out very well though on my chicken.  It was sweet and a little spicy but not overly sweet or spicy, it was just right. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar or wine vinegar (I used wine)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons Raspberry Enlightenment (Penzeys)
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used regular Penzeys, but the recipe calls for Vietnamese Cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Penzeys Minced Garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic (I just used granulated garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Penzeys Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Regular Mustard Powder

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pour over 3-4 lbs. of your meat of choice and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Grill the meat to your desired level of doneness over medium high heat. 

We live in a one bedroom apartment, so we have no real girll.

Enjoy!

Mimi's Poppy Seed Cake from Penzeys ( done by me)

This cake was no piece of cake to make.  It was the first time I made a multilayer cake, and with a pudding in the middle instead of the same frosting as I would put on the outside.  I found this cake in the Penzeys catalog a while ago and kept it on my fridge to remind me to make it one day.  Well, since my dad loves it when I bake cakes, I decided to make this for him for Father's Day.  The recipe called for vanilla extract in the cake batter and pudding, but I used Penzeys' lemon extract instead.  When my dad had his deli, he would bake lemon poppy seed muffins, and having been a huge fan of those muffins, I decided to make it into a cake.  Thanks to Mimi's family for providing such a great recipe in the Penzeys catalog.

Here's what you'll need for the cake:

• 1/2 cup whole blue poppy seeds (I used Penzeys')
• 1 cup milk (I used coconut milk to get rid of it.)
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract (I added another 1/4 tsp. because I didn't want the coconut to overwhelm the taste of the cake.)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 egg whites, beaten

Soak the poppy seeds in the milk for 2 hours.

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the sugar and lemon extract and mix well.  Add the poppy seed mixture.

Gradually add the dry ingredients.  Fold in the beaten egg whites.  Pour into 2 greased 8-inch layer pans and bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. 

Now onto the filling:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks, beaten until thick, 1-2 minutes
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
• pinch of salt

Dissolve the cornstarch in a little of the milk in a medium saucepan.  Add the rest of the milk and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.  Add the sugar to the beaten egg yolks.  Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the yolks, stirring constantly.  Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick and the mixture starts to bubble, stirring constantly, about 7-8 minutes.

Once the mixture bubbles, cook for an additional minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Stir in the lemon extract, cover  by putting plastic wrap right on the surface, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now for the white frosting:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until peaks form and set aside.  In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt.  Place on the stove over medium heat and stir until it starts to boil, 4-8 minutes.

Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  While beating, pour the sugar mixture slowly over the egg whites.  Beat until peaks form and the frosting is thick and glossy and has the consistency to spread.  This should take about 4-7 minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat just to combine.

After the cake is completely cool, cut each layer in half.  This was tricky for me because I cut them on an angle by accident.  Spread some filling between each layer.

I know it looks sloppy, but it turned out better than this.

Now frost with the white frosting.

Place in the fridge to firm up a bit before cutting.  Enjoy!  My family sure did.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten-Free too)

I can't believe my blog is a year old already!  Hopefully I'll get more followers/viewers in this new year of my blog.  I made these cupcakes about two weeks ago when I was craving chocolate, and since the first cupcake batch came out well, I decided to go with my Gluten-Free Cupcakes cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.  They were also sugar free;  they were sweetened with agave nectar.  I like agave a lot, but sometimes when things are sweetened with it, it makes your baked goods extremely moist...a little more than I would like.  That being said, I thought the cupcakes were still very good, and the buttercream turned out really good too.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Here's what you'll need for the buttercream:

• 1/2 cup Spectrum all-vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
• Pinch of sea salt
• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder, ground chia seeds, flax meal, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, agave nectar, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture with a large spoon until thoroughly combined.  Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost and serve.

Now onto the buttercream:

In large bowl, blend together the shortening and buttery spread with a handheld mixer until creamy.  Mix in the salt, agave nectar, and vanilla extract, whipping until smooth.

Refrigerate the frosting for 2 hours, or until firm.  Frost the cupcakes immediately, then place them into the fridge to keep the consistency of the frosting firm until serving.  Enjoy!