Happy Birthday, Mom: Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

We celebrated my mom’s birthday this weekend with a family dinner at our house. My sister, our mom, and I divided up cooking responsibilities, and we all contributed a few dishes that resulted in a Sunday evening feast. We even had three desserts! My mom blew out her birthday candles with the help of my nephew and niece, and then we enjoyed some carrot cupcakes (courtesy of the birthday girl herself), and a few other treats! It was an enjoyable evening spent with a wonderful family and good food! Happy Birthday, Mom!


Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe by Ellie Krieger)
Ingredients
¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup canola oil
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup natural applesauce
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
4 ounces 1/3-fat cream cheese
¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Sift together the first 6 ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in ¼ cup of the chopped walnuts.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts. The cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator.

They Can’t All Be Gems: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread AGAIN

Last Thursday I started out the day waking up late, but I got ready at record speed, and even had extra time to spend styling my hair. I flew threw every all green lights on the way to work. It was sunny and I had no traffic. I turned my iPod onto the shuffle setting and the perfect song came on. Just as I was pulling into my parking structure, a car that was parked in the best spot was pulling out. Jack pot! I even ended up making it to work early!

At some point during the day my luck turned.

Earlier in the week I had been notified of a breakfast party my office would be joining another department for. It was encouraged for people to bring a food item to share, and as the other office is a team of practically professional bakers, I had to bring something.

I thought all week about what I should make, and tried to figure out how I’d find the time to make something (I’ve been working long and stressful days with 3 meals a day eaten behind my desk and in front of my computer). I made a successful effort to leave work by 6:00 pm to allow myself enough time to stop by the store and make my dish. It took trips to two different grocery stores to acquire all of the ingredients necessary for the frittatas I was planning to make. When I arrived home I made a fabulous recipe for mini egg frittatas with sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed shallots and garlic, smoked mozzarella, Asiago cheese, and fresh basil.

Having left work “early”, I retreated to my laptop in another room while they were in the oven. I should mention that I’ve had a sinus-thing for two weeks and my normally keen sense of smell has abandoned me. While I was typing away at emails, I failed to smell my mini frittatas burning in the kitchen. I can’t believe that I let that happened! I pulled them out of the oven, and while my husband and I may have bit the bullet and eaten them ourselves, being the perfectionist that I am, I could not serve them to my colleagues! They sadly went directly into the trash.

I checked the clock – it was past 10:00 pm! I did not have enough of the ingredients to remake the frittatas. We do not live near any grocery stores and I had already had a glass of wine, so getting to the store was out of question. To top it off, my husband was out of town on business, and if he had been home, he would have lovingly gone to any grocery store to fetch whatever ingredients I needed. I did not want to show up to this breakfast gathering empty handed!

I began flipping through my cookbook while surveying what I had in my refrigerator and pantry. I had a couple eggs, a can of pumpkin puree that hadn’t yet expired, and barely enough sugar. I could make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread! I pulled out my stand mixer and got going, but unfortunately it had to bake for over an hour. When I pulled it out of the oven I didn’t let it rest long enough (as I was longing to get to bed for an early start for the next day!). As I attempted to put it on a cooling rack, the loaf split in two! I salvaged it with some fancy slicing and headed to bed with only a few hours left before my alarm would hopefully wake me up.

I somehow rose early enough on Friday morning to make it to the gathering with my Pumpkin Bread. When I went to retrieve my plate at the end of the day, all but one slice were gone!

Recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This went in . . .

. . . and this came out.

Straying from Standard Sides: Sautéed Green Beans & Mushrooms, and Glazed Carrots with Pecans

I took my Christmas tree down while it was still December, but I have yet to finish posting recipes from my Christmas dinner! I’ll finish it off tonight with two sides that I tried. I strayed a bit from traditional sides dishes (think green bean casserole and candied yams), and tried healthier replicas.

For the green beans, I sautéed them in olive oil (versus the traditional casserole recipe that calls for a can of creamy soup). I topped mine with almonds, although you could swap out the almonds and garnish with some French-fried onions, which would be more like the standard version. Instead of baking yams with spices and topping them with pecans and marshmallows, I cooked some carrots with similar spices, and they had the flavor of a pumpkin pie!

Both side dishes were enjoyed by all of us, and also didn’t require any time in the oven. (Oven time is something I’ve learned you have to carefully plan for when you’re turning out multiple dishes and you only have one oven!)

Sautéed Green Beans & Mushrooms
Ingredients
24 oz. frozen green beans, preferably thin French style beans (Kate used Trader Joe's Haricot Verts)
10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and a mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to slightly brown. Add green beans, 2 tablespoons of water, and cover. Steam until tender. Season with salt and pepper, top with sliced almonds and serve.



Glazed Carrots with Pecans
(Adapted from Sunset, November, 2009)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups diagonally sliced (1/4 in.) peeled carrots
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground clove
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups toasted pecan halves

Directions
Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring frequently, 6 minutes. Stir in spices and sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Add pecans and cook until carrots are tender when pierced and mixture is glazed in sugar, 5-10 minutes.

A Little Chocolate A Day: Chocolate Chrunch Granola

I don’t think I’ve ever had a “sweet-tooth”, but I have definitely have a chocolate tooth. I’ve loved chocolate for as long as I can remember. I usually pass on desserts unless they include chocolate. (In attempting to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a dessert has to be “worth it” for me to indulge. Chocolate is worth it.)

I find that it’s rare for a day to pass without having a little chocolate. This is mainly because I have found innovative ways to get my chocolate fix without eating a piece of cake or a scoop of ice cream. I regularly enjoy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, but also have found Cooking Light’s Chocolate Crunch to be just what I need. It incorporates oats, dried fruit, and nuts with a little taste of chocolate for a reasonable amount of calories per serving size (168 calories for ½ cup). I’ll take this with me to work or when I’m traveling, and it’s perfect for breakfast or a snack.

Chocolate Crunch
(From Cooking Light, December, 2007)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 cups regular oats
1 cup oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa), finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cover a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with cooking spray.

Combine oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, chopped pecans, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine honey and canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat; cook 2 minutes or until warm. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over oat mixture. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Gently mix chocolate mixture and oat mixture until combined. Spread oat mixture onto prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool completely on pan; stir in cranberries.

Tradition: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This recipe goes back as far as I can remember. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread was always a favorite in my family around the holidays. About 15 years ago or so it turned into a fixture in my diet year-round. My mother would make it and pack it in my lunch, or I’d even snack on it for breakfast. Some things never change. Over time we have improvised with this recipe and turned it into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, which makes it a little easier to eat on the go.

When my husband and I lived in New York, our friends became our family. A few of our friends especially played the part, as we gathered at least monthly for a 'family dinner' and board games. Those nights are some of my most treasured memories in the city. I would cook up a storm in our apartment's tiny kitchen, our friends would show up with wine, and we laughed into the wee hours of the night over Trivial Pursuit or Taboo.

After our move, I experienced withdrawal from not being able to cook for these friends. I have yet to figure out how to snail-mail them homemade sauces and soups, but I do send them one treat each year. I don’t know if they’ve come to expect it, but each Wednesday or Thursday after Thanksgiving they receive a loaf of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread in the mail, tucked inside a shoebox and wrapped in Christmas paper. This year is no different. Enjoy, ladies!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
(I usually do a double batch of this and use two loaf pans)
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (for a double batch, use a whole can of pumpkin)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits (when I do a double batch, I put in one whole bag on nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup walnuts, firmly chopped (optional)

Directions
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in separate bowl. Add this dry mixture alternating with pumpkin to egg mixture - beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate bits and 3/4 cup walnuts (optional).

Grease bottom of loaf pan (or two if doubling), and pour in mixture. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until done. (Depending on oven - baking time can be 40 - 60 min. Check browning of top of loaf, and stick knife or tooth pick in to see if done. Loaf should be nicely toasted and crisp on top.) Slice into 1-inch slices once cooled. Serve or freeze.

Spiced Wine: Winter Sangria

My husband and I were spoiled with sangria from the start. There was a local Italian-style tavern in the college town where we met during undergrad, which was known for having the best sangria. At the ripe age of 21, we, along with our friends, had many fantastic evenings (followed by unfortunate mornings). Spring and summer evenings were spent sitting elbow-to-elbow at long picnic tables in their outdoor garden. The establishment’s strong sangria was served in mason jars filled with red wine and fresh fruit. Each subsequent sangria that we’ve since tried has been compared to this first taste. Few have held up to our prominent college favorite.

While our beloved sangria from yesteryear is a red sangria, I’ve made several white sangrias that we enjoy during hot summer days. A recent edition of Cooking Light included a recipe for a holiday-inspired red sangria. I purchased a bottle of Zinfandel and decided to give it a whirl. The recipe calls for satsumas oranges, which I was unable to find. Per their suggestion, I substituted with tangerines. (When I make this again I will slice the tangerines instead of segmenting them. There are far too many seeds to remove from a tangerine, and doing so while pieces are segmented nearly destroys each section of fruit.) This sangria is delicious! It is a cross between a mulled wine and a sangria. It is much more refreshing than a mulled wine, but still presents the flavors of the holidays with the clove and cinnamon.

Winter Sangria
(From Cooking Light, November, 2009)
Ingredients
• 1 cup fresh satsuma orange juice (about 4 satsumas)
• 1 cup satsuma orange sections (about 2 satsumas)
• 1/3 cup Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle fruity red wine

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Apple Applications: Baked & Stuffed Apples and Apple Chips

Apples happen to be my husband’s favorite fruit, if not one of his favorite foods. He’ll eat them any which way. He loves apple pie, and I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve only made an apple pie once in my life. I did it a of couple years ago for his birthday. The pie turned out wonderfully, but when you’re cooking healthy meals for two, apple pie doesn’t make it into the regular rotation.


The October, 2009 issue of Cooking Light had a couple ideas of how to be innovative with this well-known fruit. These aren’t your typical apple applications, but they are quite tasty and a lot of fun. They would be a fun treat for kids to try! (Particularly the Apple Chips, which are a bit addictive!)

Apple Chips
Ingredients
* 2 apples
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Use a mandolin to cut paper-thin slices of apple. Arrange apple slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle apples with sugar and cinnamon, and bake at 200°F for 1 ½ hours or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Stuffed and Baked Apples
Ingredients
* 4 apples
* ½ cup brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
* 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small cubes

Directions
Peel top of apple skins, then core, stopping ½ inch before you reach the bottom to keep filling inside. Use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out core, if necessary. Mix brown sugar, walnuts, and butter in a small bowl. Fill apples with brown sugar mixture.

Place apples in an 8-inch square baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until a knife is easily inserted into flesh.

Holiday Hors d'oeuvre: Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

I promised myself I would post these before the holidays. If you are looking for something for your guests to nibble on before Thanksgiving dinner is ready – these are it! They are also a perfect hors d’oeuvre for any fall or winter gathering, especially for a holiday party. I think it was my sister who first introduced our family to this recipe several years ago, and it quickly became a permanent fixture for our family holiday gatherings.

The recipe calls for cooked sweet potato. I like to roast mine in the oven. Not only does roasting the sweet potato caramelize it, but it also sends a nice aroma throughout your house. (Prick the sweet potatoes with a knife in several places and bake at 400°F in a small baking pan until very tender, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.) If you’re pressed for time, you could always cook it in the microwave. (Pierce each sweet potato a few times with a fork, place in a pie plate with two tablespoons of water, cover loosely with wax paper, and microwave on high for 5 minutes or until tender.) They are so good!

Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts
(From Cooking Light, November, 2005)
Ingredients
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
2 (2.1-ounce) packages mini phyllo shells (such as Athens)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine sweet potato, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring well.

Combine pecans, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, and egg white, stirring well.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon sweet potato mixture into each phyllo shell, spreading to edges. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon pecan mixture over sweet potato mixture. Place filled shells on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Best Chili Ever: Quinoa Chili

Are you sick of quinoa yet? Because I am certainly not! I keep trying out new recipes of this wonder-grain, and I can’t seem to get enough of it. Just the other week my friend, Beth, forwarded me a recipe for Quinoa Chili. I was rather anxious to try it, because I’ve eaten at Beth’s place before, and I know that she is an excellent cook. At a mid-summer dinner that she and her husband hosted me and my husband for, she prepared our entire scrumptious meal from scratch, including the corn tortillas!

The Quinoa Chili goes together easily, and it is delicious! This is the best vegetarian version of chili that I have ever had. It is hearty yet healthy, and I am so thankful that Beth sent this one my way! You can gave fun with the garnishes, and add whatever you like.

Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green pepper, diced
2 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 (14 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (14 oz.) can small diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 (14 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I sometimes substitute with black beans)

Directions
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet on medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt, garlic, green pepper and spices; sauté 5 to 10 minutes. Add rinsed uncooked quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetable broth/water to onion and quinoa mixture. Cover and simmer together 20 minutes. Add kidney beans; simmer another 10 minutes.

If chili is too thick, just add water or more vegetable broth until it is to your liking.

Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, corn chips, green onions.

Halloween Treat: Frosted Pumpkin Cake

In honor of my husband’s favorite holiday, and for everyone who is looking for a festive Halloween treat, I decided to bake something with pumpkin. My latest issue of Cooking Light included a recipe for pumpkin cake with a cream cheese frosting. My favorite pumpkin treat will be posted later in November, but I do love the combination of a cream cheese frosting with pumpkin.

I had my Kitchen Aid stand mixer out ready to go when I realized that I had less brown sugar than I thought I did. I only had one-half of a cup of brown sugar, and was in need of the other half to make this recipe. Instead of making friends with a neighbor, I drove the 20+ miles (one-way) to my sister’s house to get ½ cup of brown sugar. (Okay, I also really wanted to borrow a dress from her, and my excursion lent it’s way to a little playtime with my equally adorable nephew and niece.)

A while later, I was back in my kitchen with my ½ cup of brown sugar in a plastic baggy and I was ready to bake cake! My cake batter seemed really thick. It was difficult to spread out in the pan, so you can either take your time and really work at smoothing it out, or just let it bake unevenly (which I’ll shamelessly admit that I did). While it was baking I wondered if I’d need to do it over with less flour, but it turned out very dense and moist.

I decorated the cake with some Halloween candies. While I did this recipe in celebration of Halloween, it would also work for Thanksgiving. You could garnish with some chopped pecans (or even toss some pecans in the batter for a little crunch).


Frosted Pumpkin Cake
(From Cooking Light; November, 2009)
Ingredients
Cake:
* 10.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 ¼ cups)
* 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* ½ cup butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
Cooking spray

Frosting:
* 2 tablespoons butter, softened
* ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
*2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare cake, weight or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture; beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in a pan on a wire rack.

To prepare the frosting, combine 2 tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.

Apples for Him: Fresh Fruit Crisp

My husband loves apples in all of the forms they can be eaten in. I pack an apple in his lunch everyday, and he’ll gravitate towards an apple dessert whenever it’s on the menu. I don’t make apple desserts for him as much as I should could. While I also enjoy this crisp, juicy fruit in it’s raw form, if I’m going to indulge in dessert, I’d rather do it with chocolate!

This time of year is the perfect time to cook with apples, as they are everywhere! While my husband would probably prefer an apple pie (which I’ve only made for him once ... come on, what are the two of us going to do with a whole apple pie?), I opted to make apple crisp.

My apple crisp recipe is much easier than some other apple desserts (like strudel, turnovers, pies, etc.) because instead of mixing and rolling dough, you make an easy crumbly topping (this is my favorite part of the dish, which we refer to as the “goodness”). Several years ago we gave my sister one of these contraptions from Williams-Sonoma for Christmas. She has gotten a lot of mileage out of it over the past few years and seems to be cranking out homemade applesauce regularly. (Even my two-year-old nephew can help operate this appliance!) This will make your apple desserts come together quite quickly!


I made this crisp recipe with only apples, but you can use any fruit that you want – pears, peaches, etc. My mother suggested adding a couple tablespoons of Grade B Maple Syrup to the apple filling (I didn’t have any at home, but plan to try her recommendation next time.)

Fresh Fruit Crisp
Ingredients
For Fruit Filling:
6 or 7 apples*, sliced and peeled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For “Goodness” Topping:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup butter, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place fruit in a 2-quart casserole dish or a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon, water and lemon juice.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients for topping. Using a pastry blender (or a fork) mix until texture is crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until fruit is tender and topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

* You can use apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, pears, berries, or any combination of them. Use whatever fruit is fresh, and experiment to find your favorite combination!