Love everything here!
Trying out these baking cups. What a great idea! No mess and a nice presentation in no time. Baked my favorite Italian Cream Cake … Then simply dipped each top into melted white chocolate, added a few nuts and coconut … And here it is. Make no mistake there is a definite difference between white melting chips and white chocolate. The word, hydrogenized, we’ve come to recognize, is a big time ingredient in those chips.
For a short time I lived in a Los Angeles apartment community. Every evening at dinner time I’d take little Stella for a walk. We both needed the exercise after being cooped up all day. Our favorite walk was the fifth level courtyard where floors of apartments faced with open windows. Then the real pleasure … the scent of spices, spices from all over the world, wafting through the air all at the same time.
Even with the pungent aroma of many dishes I make I can’t imagine having a kitchen separate from the rest of my house. These scents just play a pleasurable part in my life. Yes, more often than not my kitchen smells of garlic.
As seasons change so does my menu. Today I’ve made gingerbread muffins and I just love the way my house smells. I’ve added a rum sauce and a little ice cream to make it a dessert … But it could manage all alone.
Enjoy this recipe that mixes up in minutes by hand … And fill your house with the most amazing smells of Fall.
These can be eaten plain or as I have here … Dipped in chocolate, dusted with powdered sugar and dipped in chocolate, or sandwiched with your favorite jam and dipped in chocolate. Just anyway you try them they’re buttery delicious.
And as if these choices are not enough … I have two other posted recipes very similar to this one. I just like these ingredients in a buttery cookie dessert.
My children never understood just how lean those years were. A single mom making ends meet … And the most economical meal I made (and actually loved) was this one.
These recipes have few ingredients and are simple with little preparation time. I still love this meal not only because of the memories it evokes … It just tastes good!
When I say country I’m speaking about the hills of Arkansas where Granny and Grampa had a farm with just the right amount of livestock to keep the plates full. Granny wasn’t particularly a good cook but she could can and pickle like no one else.
These recipes were hers with this exception … Her cornbread had only five ingredients; cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and salt. The cornbread I taste in restaurants today is more of a cake texture and very sweet. With this in mind I put together a recipe I felt would give the texture of my granny’s without being too gritty and added just a bit of sugar. Bacon was a big thing in those hills … So, there is bacon in all of this. Yikes! But don’t fear … I’ve precooked the bacon and only 2 teaspoons of bacon grease are used in the beans.
Or maybe it is what you think. This is one of those recipes you keep just in case. Just in case you need a quick dessert for company … Yes, it is that good … Or just in case you are selected to bring dessert for the workplace potluck. You might find after you try it … it’s a family favorite.
If you like pumpkin and spices you will like these Spicy Pumpkin Cupcakes.
Are you going to be disappointed if you find this is a cake mix makeover? Don’t be. Here is a scratch Spicy Pumpkin Cake Recipe as an alternative.
This is what you make when you’ve an unexpected guest for breakfast! Quick, easy and nutritious oatmeal muffins. Doug had to have more than one giant muffin … And I’d even over-baked them. Yikes!
A cookie recipe I made last year around this time. I might use licorice this year or black and orange yogurt raisins to decorate the faces. Not into faces? This cookie is good without them too.
Over the last days I’ve been visiting with my daughter and her family in Southern California. My daughter is always mindful of healthy eating. Her pantry is low sugar, primarily organic and whole grain everything. She is into cookies and muffins if the nutritional value outweighs the calories. I’m for that! So, while driving home I was thinking dessert … after all, it had been three days without one. My thoughts went to a raisin biscuit, not gluten free, I ate as a kid. I’ve searched for this cookie in recent years … no longer available at my grocer’s.
I started this recipe late in the day when the natural light was disappearing from my kitchen … Working quickly to get a post together by the end of the day. The step to refrigerate the dough was skipped … saving time, but the recipe suffered a bit. I worked half the dough … So, tomorrow look for instruction photos showing the rolling out process when I work the second half. The typical all purpose flour has been replaced by a gluten free all purpose. This was an easy transition for this cookie since the texture of the original raisin biscuit is unlike a ‘cookie.’ I’ve done a taste test and this definitely passes. I think my daughter would approve!
Try this with any number of dried fruit. I tweaked this a little and added a few dried cranberries too.
Pumpkin Pie is one of the easiest and quickest pies to put together. Well, if you’re not making your own puree. I mentioned I’ve cooked raw pumpkin for my pies in the past. Once! When I found the taste was not different from the Libby’s canned puree I quickly eliminated the step. I’m a researcher from way back, cancer research that is … So, I have to add my taste test was not particularly scientific. I was the only taste tester before I added the spices. And I had a prejudice but in favor of my cooked pumpkin. I wanted my cooked pumpkin to taste differently … better. It just didn’t. Maybe others have had a different outcome. What do you think?
You may have noticed I’ve made the pie crust from scratch. In our family we have always made the pie crusts for any pies we’ve made. And after years of eating pie this way it’s hard to change. In fact, to me homemade pie crust makes this pie whether you eat the crust or simply eat the filling off it. Yes, that’s a bit strange. And I’m trying to think of an analogy but I can’t.
When I mention the importance of pie crust I’m referring to the taste and texture. In the last years I’ve used these little cutters just for fun. Adults and children just like the festive look. Me too.
An old fashioned dessert worth reviving. The crust is unlike pie crust and creates the perfect wrap to surround a large baking apple. The dumpling rests in a sweet cinnamon syrup. This dessert is not only apple delicious but has a lovely presentation. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a little extra.