Heath Bits Cookies

These were originally a chocolate chip cookie recipe, but come on... Who wouldn't rather have a bit of toffee in their cookie?

Heath Bits Cookies
Originally found at Pin Cookie

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt until well combined. Fold in toffee. Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

My Notes:
Interesting recipe. It really does create a nice, thin, chewy cookie. And the bit of crunch from the toffee just makes it divine. Be careful--these cookies don't really brown. The bottoms will, but the tops won't, so you don't want to bake them for longer than 10 minutes, even if they don't appear to be done.

Salsa Chicken Casserole

Salsa Chicken Casserole
Originally found at Budget Bytes

1 cup uncooked rice
1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 cup chicken broth
½ Tbsp chili powder
½ tsp oregano
1.5 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into serving-size portions (about the size of a deck of cards)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rice, beans, corn, and salsa into 9x13 baking dish. Stir until evenly combined. Add chicken broth, chili powder, and oregano and mix. Push the chicken pieces into the rice mixture. Cover tightly with foil, and bake for one hour. Check for tenderness of rice, and bake up to another 10-15 minutes.

My Notes:
This is actually pretty flavorful. It took forever for the chicken to cook in the container I used (and I had thawed it all out beforehand), but when it was done, the rice was nice and fluffy and oh so much flavor. Definitely something I'll make again.

Turtle Cookies

So I broke my tradition of having at least one post per month. I was away for half of November, which makes trying new recipes a bit challenging (since you're trying to use up all the stuff you have in the fridge so it doesn't spoil while you're away. Which I probably should have done more diligently, since I now have a heck of a task in cleaning out the fridge. Bleh).

But I'm hoping to make up for it a little this week, as I have several recipes on the list that I want to try. Probably won't get to all of them, but if I get 2-3, I'll consider it a success.

Also, I have no idea how I managed it, but I forgot to take a picture of these cookies. I could have sworn I took like 10, but evidently I didn't. So in the interest of getting this blog out, I'm skipping the picture for now. It's flagged for me to remember to take a picture next time.

Turtle Cookies
Originally found at The Kitchen Is My Playground

8 Tbsp butter (1 stick), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp water
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
14 soft caramel candies (the kind you'd use to make caramel apples)
1 tsp milk

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg yolk, 2 Tbsp milk, and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add to sugar mixture slowly until just combined. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk egg white with 1 tsp water, until frothy. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then dip in egg white mixture, then roll into pecans. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Just before baking, press an indentation into the center of the cookie. Bake until set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute on sheet, then remove to wire rack.

Place caramels and 1 tsp milk into a microwave safe container, then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until caramels completely melted, heating more if necessary. Consistency should be thick, but pourable. If needed, additional milk can be added. Spoon a small amount of caramel into indentations in the cookies. Cool completely, then store in airtight container.

My Notes:
Despite what the author of the blog above states, I really don't think these were the most amazing turtle cookies ever. They were a bit dry, and the original recipe for the caramel was way too thin, so I had to adapt that a bit. But they're not bad. A bit time consuming, but not bad. My roommate loved them, especially drenched in the too-thin caramel sauce, so I've decided that I'm just on the picky side. Which is fine, these are probably something I'll make again, I just might try to figure out some way to make them a little more moist.

Buffalo Chickpea Chili

Buffalo Chickpea Chili
Adapted from Naturally Ella

Olive Oil
1/2 small onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp paprika

In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes, water (or broth) and lentils. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add wing sauce, chickpeas, and paprika, and allow to simmer another 10-15 minutes, until lentils are tender. Makes about 4 servings

My Notes:
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this recipe. It's decent, but the only real flavor comes from the wing sauce, which just makes it really spicy. There's no strong depth of flavor like I have in my other chilis. But it is really quick and easy to throw together, and I happened to have all ingredients on hand. This is not something I'd make for a week's worth of food, but may decide to make it as a part of a chili potluck or something. Otherwise, I'll stick with some of my other recipes.

Squash Crusted Quiche

Image Pending

Squash Crusted Quiche
Inspired by Tasty Kitchen and adapted from All Recipes

1 small spaghetti squash
olive oil
4 eggs
1/2 small onion
dash red pepper flakes
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then place cut side down on cooking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, until flesh is tender. Allow to cool, then scoop flesh out and set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, then add onion. Saute until onion becomes translucent, then add broccoli. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until broccoli becomes slightly tender. Allow to cool slightly. In a small bowl, beat eggs, then stir in cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir in cooled broccoli mixture.

Press squash to sides of a pie tin. Press 1/4 cup cheese into 'crust'. Bake at 350 until cheese melts slightly; this will remove some of the excess moisture in the squash. Remove from oven and pour in egg mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, until egg mixture is set and cheese browns slightly. Allow to cool and serve either slightly warm or at room temperature.

My Notes:
So, my squash was really wet when it went into the oven, and I didn't use a pie tin, I used a springform pan. So about halfway through cooking, it started leaking out the bottom of the pan. I was really worried it was going to be super soggy when it finally came out, but it wasn't too bad. It wasn't crispy, by any stretch of the imagination, but it held together well and was a nice functional crust.

And I got a ton of compliments on it. I brought it to a pie contest (I decided on a very liberal definition of 'pie'), and while it did not win, I did have multiple people come up to me and tell me how good it was, and a couple people asked for the recipe. And, bonus, it's gluten free, so some of my celiac friends can eat it too! Regretfully, since it disappeared so quickly, I didn't get a good picture of it. Sorry folks.

Chocolate "Crazy" Cake

A moment of celebration is needed. I've hit 3K page views :) It's only taken me 3.5 years to do so, but hey, such is life. I still haven't met the requirements to complete my original challenge, though: 100 recipes, with at least 25 each of dairy, meat, and pareve--I'm only at 23 meat recipes, even though I have 125+ recipes on the site right now. Clearly, that needs to be an area of focus for me. This is mostly because it's a whole lot easier to convert a recipe that contains both meat and dairy to a vegetarian recipe than it is to eliminate the dairy.

Enough of my rambling--on to your regularly scheduled post.



So the other night, I was asked to bring dessert to a friend's house in exchange for dinner and good company (or something like that). I was originally going to make cookies, because they're simple and why not, but then realized that I didn't have enough butter on hand. So I went through my pinterest board to see if there was something I could make without butter, or milk. I found this recipe I pinned forever ago, and figured why not. I already had all the ingredients on hand. I'm also fairly certain I've made this before, but I couldn't find record of it, so whatever. The blog below also has recipes for a vanilla, spice, and lemon crazy cake as well if you're interested in something besides chocolate. Apparently it works great with gluten-free flour as well.

Chocolate Crazy Cake
Originally found at Sweet Little Bluebird

1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. You can mix the ingredients directly in an 8" square baking pan, or you can do it in a bowl first. Mix the dry ingredients together until well blended. Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients--two small, and one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in another, and vegetable oil in the largest. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth. Pour into prepared pan if mixing in a bowel.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar, or your favorite icing.

My Notes:
Very yummy. Super moist, but still light and airy. This may become my go-to cake recipe, especially since it's so incredibly easy to make. And it's pareve!

Southwest Sauce

Remember a few weeks ago when I made that Sweet Potato Gnocchi, but said that the sauce wasn't flavorful enough? Well, I came up with a solution to that. Even though the gnocchi itself is based on the sweet side of the sweet potato, I really wanted a nice and savory sauce to go with it. So I did some searching for other recipes with sweet potatoes, just to see how people used them.

Apparently one way that is very popular is to do a southwest stuffed sweet potato. Considering a big part of my blog is based in the southwest, I figured it would be a nice addition to the group. It took me a bit to figure out exactly how I wanted to adapt the recipe, but I think this one's a winner.

Southwest Sauce Adapted from Elly Says Opa!

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp chipotles en adobo (blended)
2 oz cream cheese
1 recipe Sweet Potato Gnocchi

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add spices, then add corn, tossing to coat the corn with the spices. Cook until corn is slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

Deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth, add in the chipotles en adobo, then slowly stir in the cream cheese until completely incorporated. Stir in gnocchi, then corn and beans. Heat through and serve hot.

My Notes:
So, I actually had about half my gnocchi recipe left over in the freezer, and used that for the basis of the recipe. As a result, I only used about half of the corn and beans, because more would have overwhelmed the gnocchi. Also, because my gnocchi were frozen and I had to let them thaw in the sauce, I used significantly more liquid than I called for in the recipe, because it reduced quite nicely.

All in all, this is definitely a winning recipe. There is a lot of flavor going on, and it works well with the texture of the gnocchi.

Now I just have to use up those other two sweet potatoes sitting in my cupboard.

S'mores Krispies

I'm still not entirely sure what to call these things. They're like a Rice Krispie treat, only with graham cracker stuffs instead of rice krispies. And they're so much better and not bland. Seriously, you should make them now.

S'mores Krispies
Originally found at Country Cleaver

6 Tbsp butter
1 package marshmallows (10 oz)
5 cups Golden Grahams cereal
3/4 cup chocolate chips, divided

Liberally grease a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in marshmallows and heat until consistency is even. Turn off heat, and add in the cereal, mixing until well covered with marshmallow mixture. Add in 1/2 cup chocolate chips, mix lightly, then pour into the baking dish. Press lightly into pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Allow to cool and serve. Store in a covered container.

My Notes:
I've seen a lot of people complain that when they initially add the chocolate chips and stir them in that the chocolate chips melt and they just end up with chocolate marshmallow goop covering the Golden Grahams. The key to getting them to remain mostly solid is to only stir enough to spread them out throughout the mixture, then dump it into the pan. They'll still melt a little, because you are dumping them into essentially boiling marshmallow goo, but you should still get chunks.

I brought this to a potluck the other day, and everyone fell in love with it and told me the recipe was a keeper. Even the woman who makes the most amazing brownies in the world. High praise indeed.

Cinnamon Apple Challah

This past week was Rosh Hashanah. For those of you who aren't Jewish, or familiar with Jewish customs, that is the start of the Hebrew calendar. Traditionally, sweet things are eaten on Rosh Hashanah to celebrate and to hope for a 'sweet' new year. Apples and honey is a favorite combination. I ran across this recipe for cinnamon apple challah on Pinterest not too long ago, and it seemed oddly fitting, especially since Rosh Hashanah ran into Shabbat this year.

Cinnamon Apple Challah
Modified from ReformJudaism.org

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast (1 envelope)
1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 small apples, or 1 medium-large apple

In a large bowl, mix yeast, water, and 1/4 cup sugar. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, until frothy. Mix in 2 eggs, oil, vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a soft ball. It should be firm enough to handle without being sticky, but still soft and pliable. Knead dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, adding more water if dough is tough or flour if it is sticky. Place the dough in a clean, warm bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until about double in size.

Meanwhile, core and chop apples into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle on 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp sugar.

Once dough has risen, divide into three sections and roll each into a long, wide strip. Sprinkle some apples along the long edge and roll up, taking care to avoid air bubbles. Avoid placing the apple-cinnamon liquid into the dough, as this will make it much more difficult to handle. Repeat with remaining two sections of dough. Braid strands together, tucking ends under. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until triple in size, about an hour and a half.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the remaining egg with a small amount of water to create an egg wash, and brush the challah with the egg. Bake 25-35 minutes, until golden brown. The bread should sound hollow when tapped. Serve with honey!

My Notes:
So, I had too many apples. It didn't work so well. One of my rolls ended up falling apart, so I skipped the step to braid and just did tree spiral rounds. The original recipe called to bake for 35 minutes, but I was skeptical, so I set my timer for 30, and ended up taking the bread out with about 8 minutes left. Likely this was because it wasn't braided.

It's not a bad recipe. I'm not sure how much of a fan I am of the chunks of apples--I was expecting them to be a bit softer and melt into the batter a little more, but they kept their form and crunch fairly well. Still, it's got a nice flavor.

Raspberry Cream Coffee Cake

So, it's my roommate's birthday this weekend, and since I actually like this one, I figured it was high time to make a treat. Having taken a 5 hour afternoon nap (or as some of my friends would call it, an afternoon 'sleep'), I was pretty awake last night, so I decided to comb through my list of pending recipes. I had looked at this one a few times, and decided to give it a go, since I had everything I needed on hand (I love it when things work out like that).

I've simplified the ingredients list, so be sure to read through the recipe carefully.

Raspberry Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from Food Wanderings in Asia

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into chunks
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
6oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the edges of a 9" springform pan. Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg and beat until just well combined. Do not overbeat. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or 2 forks), until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 3/4 cup of this mixture. Add the baking soda and baking powder to the remaining flour mixture, and mix well.

In another bowl, combine the yogurt, 1 egg, and vanilla extract until well blended. Slowly incorporate into the flour mixture. The batter will be thick, like a loose cookie dough.

Pour the batter into the springform pan and spread, bringing it up the sides to form a shallow well in the center. Pour the cream cheese mixture into this well, being careful not to spread all the way to the edge of the pan. Heat the raspberry preserves in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then pour over the cream cheese mixture. Top with the reserved flour mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing the cake. Enjoy while warm, or store covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.

My Notes:
So I did make a few adjustments to the original recipe, notably using raspberry preserves instead of making strawberry jelly, but I like raspberries better anyway. I also didn't have a full block of cream cheese, so I just used 6 oz and it turned out fine... more than enough to fill the cake 'crust'.

A note about the butter. You want it to be cold, so I cut the butter into largish chunks, then put the flour, sugar, and butter into the freezer for about 10 minutes, while making the rest of the parts. I tried to use my immersion blender to mix in the butter, but the butter just stuck to the inside of the blender instead of dispersing through the batter. Then, I tried to do the two fork method, and it was just very difficult to do. Ultimately, I mixed it in with my hand, but you should be careful to keep the butter relatively cold if you do this method, as melted butter in the batter will disrupt the texture of the final product.

The verdict? This cake is amazing. My roommate was in heaven eating it (she got the first slice, of course), and I pretty much agreed with her verdict when I bit into it. I do think the cake was a little overdone along the edges, but that was due to my uncertainty over the goldenness of the crumble on top. Overall, a winner and something I will make again and again.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Originally found at All About Gluten Free Cooking and Living

1 sweet potato, rinsed and pierced with a fork
1 Tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2-3 cups flour

Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake in a 350F oven until done, about an hour. Allow to cool slightly, then peel and mash. Mix in brown sugar and nutmeg, then slowly incorporate flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until a dough ball forms. It will be slightly sticky, but should be able to hold some shape. Place a pot of water on medium-high heat to boil.

Place on a floured surface and roll into a snake about 1 inch wide. Cut the snake into chunks about 1/2 inch wide. If desired, you can roll the gnocchi on the tines of a fork; this will allow it to soak up more sauce.

Working in small batches, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Stir it a bit after dropping them in, as sometimes they can stick to the bottom of the pan. When they start to float, remove them with a slotted spoon.

Top with your favorite sauce, and enjoy while warm! If desired, you can freeze them in a single layer and reheat later with the sauce.

My Notes:
I'm not entirely sure how much flour I used. I kept adding small amounts until I got the right consistency, and it took a little bit of time. But, I had three people try it, and they all enjoyed the gnocchi itself. Perfect consistency and just a bit of sweetness. I made the sage sauce recommended at the link above, but wasn't overly impressed with it... it just needed more flavor. I think I'll try it with pesto at some future point. The recipe was easy enough that I'll probably make it again, and may not be so inclined to buy regular gnocchi at the store from now on. It's just so easy to go ahead and make it yourself!

Buffalo Fries

I did my Surgery rotation at a different hospital than my home hospital a few months ago. Because they had us stay in a wing of the hospital, they had to provide us some sort of food, so we got a daily stipend to use in the cafeteria. It wasn't something I recommend, eating in the cafeteria for every meal for a month straight, but they did have some pretty awesome foods.

One in particular I enjoyed was their buffalo fries. Really simple to make, but really, really good. I had forgotten about them until I was on a rotation with one of my classmates who eats terribly. As in, he eats out at every single meal, and somehow is not the size of a house. I don't understand how he isn't broke either, but that's a whole other discussion. Anyway, he mentioned he had rotated at this hospital for something else (I think it was Internal Medicine), and how he was obsessed with these fries.

So, naturally, I had to experience them again.



Apologies for the poor picture quality. This is what happens when you use your phone to take pictures and can't figure out if it's focused or not before the snapshot. One of these days I'll try a whole lot harder to make my pictures look more appetizing.

Buffalo Fries
More or less Original Recipe

Fries
Frank's Wing Sauce
Ranch Dressing

Cook the fries to desired crispness*. Allow to cool slightly, then toss in generous amount of wing sauce. The spiciness of the fries will be determined by how much sauce you throw on, so adjust according to your own tastes. Drizzle with Ranch dressing to cool the heat a bit. Serve immediately.

My Notes:
*You can either get pre-packaged fries, as I clearly did, or you can make your own by slicing up some potatoes and tossing them with a bit of cornstarch, then baking them at 350 until they're cooked through and crispy, about 20 minutes.

Amazing, and just like I remember. I may be a bit obsessed with this recipe right now. Maybe it'll stop when I run out of the wing sauce :)

Mexican Lasagne

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and immediately jumped at the opportunity to make it. Not only did I basically have everything I needed on hand (going along with my goal to clean out my pantry), but it also sounded delicious, and the typical thing I would make.

Mexican Lasagne
Originally found at Sugar and Spice by Celeste

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp chipotle en adobo*
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8-10 soft corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, heat oil. Add garlic and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until onion becomes slightly translucent, and add bell pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the peppers become slightly soft. Add chipotle, diced tomatoes and ketchup. Stir and heat through.

In a separate bowl, combine corn and black beans.

To assemble the lasagne, lay down 3-4 tortillas in an 8 x 8 square pan to cover the bottom. Add 1/3-1/2 sauce, followed by a layer of corn and black beans, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers. Tear up one tortilla and sprinkle over the top. Add another layer of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until top is golden brown and the lasagne is heated through.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

*If you'll remember, I blend an entire can of chipotle en adobo, then add the puree to dishes as needed.

My Notes:
Not bad. The chipotle offers a bit of a kick, and the tortilla layer really does disappear into the layers. The shredded tortilla and cheese in the top layer offers a bit of a crunch as well. It's definitely something I'll make again. I did have a bit of a problem with the ingredients--I realized after I laid down my second layer of tortillas that I was already more than halfway up the dish, so I hurried to use the rest of the ingredients. I ended up with extra black beans and corn, which I certainly don't mind since I use the combination enough anyway.

Skinny Girl Cupcakes with Pomegranate Tea Frosting

So I got a really bad craving the other night for something sweet. I've already gone through my chocolate chips (as part of my clean-out-the-pantry month), so that was out. I did, however, have a bottle of Sprite Zero and a box of cake mix. So, cupcakes were born.

Skinny Girl Cupcakes
Originally found at Six Sisters' Stuff

1 box cake mix, any flavor
12 oz Sprite Zero

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the box of cake mix and the Sprite Zero until well combined. Fill cupcake holders to 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center springs back after a light touch or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then frost.

Pomegranate Tea Frosting
Adapted from Ellebug

1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter, softened.
2 cups powdered sugar
2 bags Pomegranate Tea
4 Tbsp boiling water

Place teabags in boiling water and allow to steep for 10 minutes, then allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, beat together powdered sugar and butter until fluffy. Add in the tea, mixing well. Chill for 10 minutes prior to frosting the cupcakes.

My Notes:
This was my first time making my own frosting. I don't think I'll do a buttercream again. It's just too... I dunno. Super sweet, I guess. The frosting is definitely something that takes a certain palate to appreciate, but my friends certainly enjoyed it. I have another recipe for a basic frosting that sounds like it'll be slightly less sweet. I think I'll try that one next time.

Still, this wasn't a bad attempt, considering I happened to have everything on hand. I'll definitely be playing with the skinny girl cake recipe, maybe try to adapt it so that I don't need the mix anymore. I'm not quite good enough with cakes to do that yet... I mostly stick to brownies and cookies from scratch.

Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning

You can't really see it in the above picture, but the popcorn is a beautiful golden color. It tastes pretty yummy too. I promise, I'll work on my photography skills, but with only an iPhone and a point-and-shoot camera at my disposal, it makes things a little more difficult.

Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning
Originally found at Fearless Homemaker

1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash cayenne pepper
dash garlic powder

Blend together ingredients in a food processor. Pour over slightly oiled/buttered popcorn, to taste.*

*If you make popcorn in the air popper or by steaming, you will need to add some oil or butter to get the seasoning to stick. If you make it on the stove using oil or butter, the addition of extra is unnecessary. If you add it to store-bought popcorn in the bag, you shouldn't need anything else, so long as you pour the seasoning quickly after removing from the microwave.

My Notes:
So, I'm currently on a mission to clean out my pantry before I move. Part of that is only going to the grocery store when I absolutely need to, and only for staples. Which is proving to be a little more difficult than I initially anticipated, but I did manage to cut my food budget in half this month by doing so. Next month I'll save even more on my food bill, because I'm going to be at camp for 2 weeks out of the month and thus don't have to make anything.

At any rate, I bought a bag of popcorn kernels a long time ago for something. My friend then invited us all over for movie night, and commented about how she had all these veggies and snacks, but no popcorn. Whatever is a girl to do? I figured that since it wasn't popcorn in a bag, that it would need some sort of seasoning on it, and plain old salt just wasn't going to do. So Pinterest came to my rescue, and provided me with this recipe.

I actually adapted it from a much larger recipe (designed for giving out as gifts), but as I just wanted this for myself, I cut it down by 7. It actually produces a fair amount, probably a 1/2 cup of loosely packed seasoning. It's a bit weird tasting at first, mostly because you're not quite expecting this taste on popcorn, but it's good. Definitely something I'll make again. Maybe I can get away with getting my sister a movie themed gift for her birthday this year with various homemade seasonings. I'm usually broke around her birthday, because financial aid takes forever to be dispersed, so it'll be a good option, I think.

Taquitos

Taquitos
Original Recipe

1 lb chicken breasts
2 Tbsp chipotle in adobo
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1 can black beans
tortillas
olive oil
salsa, for garnish

In a crockpot, combine chicken breasts, chipotle in adobo, garlic, and chicken broth. Cook on low for 5 hours, then shred chicken. Crush black beans and mix with chicken. Spoon into the center of a tortilla, and roll up tightly. Spray or brush with olive oil. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, until brown and crispy. Serve with salsa.

My Notes:
These are best served fresh, crispy and all. They don't work so well heated up later. I cut my tortillas in half and rolled them that way to get them nice and small. The leftover chicken you can use in things like soup as well. Overall, they're not bad. Not quite as good as the taquitos I used to have as a kid, but I think the best I could do without using any cheese.

Banana Muffins

Yes, I know I've done a banana bread recipe before. It was a basic recipe, and I didn't even have a picture. Or if I did, it got lost somewhere, and I didn't post it. Same difference. And while that recipe was good, I like experimenting. So I found this recipe for Coconut Banana bread. That sounded a little weird, but I went with it. I did omit the coconut itself, so the bread doesn't have a very coconut flavor, but I had all the other ingredients on hand, and figured, why not?

So, I give you a twist on the typical banana bread recipe. Enjoy!

Banana Muffins
Adapted from Fat Girl Trapped In a Skinny Body

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 cup light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (use all purpose and increase baking soda to 1 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the applesauce and sugar. Add the eggs, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the mashed banana and coconut milk. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Incorporate into the wet ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.

Pour the batter into prepared pan*, and bake according to the directions below.

*For muffins, line a muffin tin with liners, or grease well. Bake muffins for 15 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For mini loaves, grease the pans well. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For 9 by 5 loaf pan, grease the pan well. Bake for about 1 hour, or until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

My Notes:
If you want to add the coconut, the original recipe recommends mixing in 1 cup shredded coconut at the end. I think almonds might make a good addition to this recipe too, if you're the type of person who typically likes banana walnut bread.

These muffins are super moist, and delightful. They are still very banana-y, but have a depth of flavor beyond that of regular banana bread. I'm not sure if I'll keep this recipe as is, as I don't buy coconut milk too often (I happened to have it on hand because I wanted to make a Thai dish a while back), but never quite got around to it. I'm also not convinced of the supposed 'health benefits' of coconut milk that everyone is touting recently, but that's another story.

As for what to do with the leftover coconut milk... why not make up a small batch of my Indian Chicken Curry? I might come out with a few more recipes soon using coconut milk, so stay tuned!

Ranch Snack Mix

Ranch Snack Mix
Modified from Lick The Bowl Good

3 cups cheddar crackers
3 cups pretzels
2 cups oyster (soup) crackers
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 envelope (3 Tbsp) Ranch dressing mix.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Combine crackers, pretzels, and peanuts in a large bowl. Combine melted butter, Worcestershire and ranch dressing mix. Pour over cracker mixture, tossing to coat.

Place all crackers in a shallow roasting dish. Bake 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container.

My Notes:
Regarding the choice of crackers: I remember seeing a recipe a while ago in which you toss oyster crackers in oil and some seasoning, and they supposedly are like crack. So I bought them do basically do that. Then I stumbled across this recipe, and decided to give it a shot. It's similar to Chex mix, but with different cracker base and ranch flavoring. Still, you can really use whatever you want. The original recipe focuses on goldfish crackers. I went with more of a Cheez-it cracker. Mix and match to meet your preferences.

It's really good. You won't regret it.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Modified from Bev Cooks

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken
1 can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2-3 Tbsp chipotle en adobo** (depending on your desired spice)
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp Lime juice
1 Tbsp cumin
1 head Bibb lettuce, rinsed with leaves separated.

Dice chicken into fine pieces. Heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet, then add chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook through. Add in corn and bell pepper. Heat through.

In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, chipotle sauce, lime juice, and cumin. Stir to combine. Pour over chicken mixture. Toss to combine and heat through.

Serve a few tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each lettuce leaf.

My Notes:
**So when I buy a can of chipotles en adobo sauce, I always puree everything, the peppers and sauce, to create a thin paste. I then use this in my recipes. The original recipe calls for 2-3 peppers with a tablespoon of the sauce.

I used a combination of chicken breast and thigh, because I didn't have enough breast to make the recipe. I also used orange and yellow bell peppers, because I happened to have some left over in my freezer from when they were on sale a while back.

Overall, this recipe is a keeper. The sweetness of the corn offsets the spiciness of the dish, and the lettuce offers a fresh bite. It was delicious.

Peanut Butter Dip

I'm not dead, I promise. I've just been a bit busy the past couple months... and pretty much without a kitchen. It's on the more difficult side to cook without a kitchen. First, I went to Europe and visited my mom. And while she does have a kitchen, we spent much of that time either eating out or eating at friend's houses, so I didn't get much of a chance to actually use the kitchen there. Then I was with my dad, and I just feel bad using his kitchen for experimentation. Especially since he sleeps during the day. One of these days, I'll actually make dinner for them, but for now, I just make quick snacks for lunch.

Then, I went away for my Surgery rotation, and stayed in a dorm room. Which wasn't bad, because they gave us $22.50 per diem in the cafeteria. Which was bad because I ate cafeteria food every day for a month. Bleh.

Now, I'm finally back home in my own kitchen, though I'm still on Surgery, so the time I have available for cooking is rather limited. So this month's recipes will likely be very basic. Except for maybe some Spinach-Artichoke Pasta, which I've been dying to try for ages. We'll see how that works out.

Without further ado... the recipe.



Peanut Butter Dip
Originally found at FitSugar.com

1 5.3 oz container vanilla greek yogurt
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp honey

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Enjoy with apples or other fruits. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

My Notes:
I found this recipe on Pinterest, of course, and it seemed like a really good idea to add some additional nutrients to peanut butter. I was a bit hesitant to try it, because I don't really like Greek Yogurt on its own, but it was absolutely amazing. As in, I basically ate the whole batch in one sitting. With apples, of course. I have a couple more recipes to try with greek yogurt, so I think I'm going to buy a big container of it, just to have handy for this recipe. That's how obsessed I am with it. I bet it'd make a great frozen yogurt treat too!