Canola oil is actually rapeseed oil but the name was changed in Canada for marketing reasons.
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Monthly Archives: October 2011
PASTA, RICE & POTATOES
AL DENTE PASTA – Al dente means “to the tooth”. When it’s cooked, pasta should be soft but still firm when you bite it. The easiest way to tell whether pasta is al dente is to remove a piece from the saucepan & test it between your teeth. The pasta should have some texture when you bite into it, but it should not be dry & hard in the middle.
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PAPER BAG GREEN APPLE PIE
STREUSEL TOPPING
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts OR pecans
pastry for a 9″ single-crust pie
APPLE FILLING
6 cups peeled, cored, & sliced tart cooking apples, such as granny smith (about 1 1/2-1 3/4 lbs total)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 heavy brown paper grocery bag (without writing), large enough to hold pie loosely
3 large paper clips
prepare the oven to 425°.
prepare the streusel topping: in a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, butter, spices, & walnuts, using a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. set aside.
if making pastry dough from scratch: roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12″-13″ circle. gently fold the dough in half & then into quarters, for easier handling. put the dough in a 9″ aluminum pie plate, unfold, & use your fingertips to fit the dough into the pan. trim the overhanging edges. press the edges of the crust into place around the rim of the pie plate, & flute or crimp. if making the crust ahead of time, refrigerate.
prepare the filling: in a large bowl, toss the apples with the flour, sugar, cinnamon, & lemon juice. mound the apples in the pie pan. scatter the small pieces of butter over the filling. sprinkle evenly with the streusel.
slide the pie into the paper bag. fold the end over securely & close tightly with the paper clips. place the pie on a cookie sheet & bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes.
reduce the oven heat to 350°. continue baking for 30-40 minutes, or until the streusel is golden brown & the apples are tender but not mushy. (use scissors to cut an X shape in the center of the bag toward the end of the baking time so you can peek. peel the paper back slightly, using a spatula or pot holder to protect your hands.) let the pie cool on a wire rack.
makes 1 (9″) pie
THE PAPER BAG KEEPS THE CRUST HIGH – IT ACTUALLY COMES OUT THE SAME SIZE AS IT WENT INTO THE OVEN. IT ALSO MAKES FOR A VERY INTERESTING PRESENTATION, & THE PIE IS EASY TO HANDLE & TRANSPORT IN THE BAG.
YOU CAN MAKE THIS A DOUBLE-CRUST PIE INSTEAD OF A STREUSEL PIE.
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CHOCOLATE, PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA CUPCAKES
CUPCAKES:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sliced & firmly packed ripe banana
1 tbs canola oil
3 tbs water
1 lg egg
1 tbs dutch process cocoa powder
1 (9 oz) box devil’s food cake mix without pudding
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:
2 1/2 tbs softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup plus 2 1/4 tsp 10x sugar
1 1/2-2 tsp whole milk
2 1/2 tbs roasted & lightly salted chopped peanuts
10 dried banana chips
preheat oven to 375°. place a medium-sized platter in the freezer.
line 10 standard muffin cups with paper liners. set aside.
to make the cupcakes, in a medium bowl & with an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, sliced banana, oil & water together on medium speed until mostly smooth or only a few very small pieces of banana are visible. on low speed, beat in the egg, cocoa powder & the cake mix. increase speed to medium-high & beat for 1 minute or until batter is well blended.
spoon an equal amount of batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. bake on the center rack for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
remove cupcakes from the pan & place on the platter in the freezer. freeze for 8 minutes to quickly cool the cupcakes.
while the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. with an electric mixer, beat together the butter & peanut butter until smooth. gradually beat in the 10x sugar & 1 1/2 tsp milk until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. if needed, add up to an extra 1/2 tsp of milk to make frosting smooth. frost cupcakes. sprinkle the tops with an even amount of the chopped peanuts. garnish the tops of each cupcake with a dried banana chip.
makes 10 cupcakes
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HAVE YOU EVER HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS…
…when you wonder if you are losing your mind? Or wonder if there’s any mind left to lose? (Somebody please say YES!) Well, today was one of those days…for me…
It started at breakfast. I decided to partake of a lite english muffin schmeared with cashew butter. Easy, right? I put the english muffin into the toaster & pushed down the lever. Ah the anticipation! A hot & toasty english muffin, so hot that the cashew butter melts into all those wonderful nooks & crannies! But where is the cashew butter? It isn’t on the shelf it’s “supposed” to be on. It isn’t on the shelf above “the” shelf. Or on the shelf above that shelf! In fact, it isn’t in the cupboard at all! (Trust me, I looked!) Did I put it in the other cupboard? Nope. Am I out of it? Nope. I KNOW I have almost a full jar! What time is it? I gotta start getting ready for work! I reckon it’s cream cheese & sugar-free jelly instead. (sigh of frustration. I REALLY want cashew butter!). So I open the refrigerator and get out the…cashew butter. The very cold, very hard, very solid cashew butter. So cold & hard & solid, in fact, that the knife I used to get it out broke! Determined though I was, so I spread the cold, hard cashew butter on my now cold, hard english muffin with the now broken knife.
What time is it? Crap! I REALLY need to get a move on! Rush rush rush! Lunch packed? Check! Shower? Check! Hair? It can air dry. Makeup? Check! Teeth brushed? Check! Purse? Check! Keys? WHERE ARE MY KEYS?!? Aaauuuggghhh!!! OF COURSE they aren’t hooked to my purse (or in my purse). OF COURSE they aren’t on the table. Or the counter. Or my dresser. Or the bathroom sink. (Someone just shoot me NOW!) Now wait! I had my keys last night when I took Emersyn out to pee & decided to get her lead out of my car since I was already outside so my keys HAVE to be…IN MY JACKET POCKET!!! (Yup! They were there!) Phew!
So I make it to work with (literally) one minute to spare. I look at the piles on my desk trying to remember where I left off. Deep breath. Everything’s going to be okay. Nothing else can go wrong today. I remember! Now I can pick up where I left off. I better put my glasses on. My glasses. Where are my glasses? I don’t see them on my desk. I thought I got them out! I guess I didn’t. (Sigh). Ah! There they are (in my purse)! I snap open the case and…no glasses. WHERE ARE MY GLASSES?!? My head itches. Why does my head itch? It’s probably this stupid headband! Scratch, scratch. That’s not a headband! IT’S MY GLASSES!
Luckily, the rest of the day wasn’t so bad. And thankfully, Emersyn knows our walking route (we walk the same route every time) because Lord knows, as bubble-headed as I’ve been of late, I’d probably get lost if left to my own devices!
As frustrated as my forgetfulness makes me, I’ve learned to laugh at it. After all, it’s all my hormones’ fault! Yup! That’s my story & I’m stickin’ to it!
Have a great evening all! I’m going to try to have a good evening as well. That is, of course, if I don’t forget!
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The Aztec word for avocado was “ahuacatl” which means “testicle tree”.
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FRUITS & VEGGIES
PUMP UP LIMP VEGGIES – Give limp veggies a second chance by soaking them in ice water to make them crisp after prolonged refrigeration. This is a great technique for lettuce & celery, which seem to go limp fastest. This trick also works for limp herbs.
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SPINACH GNOCCHI WITH MARINARA SAUCE
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
in a medium saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. add the onion & half of the garlic, & cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. add the tomatoes & oregano & break up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, & simmer the marinara sauce while you prepare the gnocchi.
in another medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. add the spinach, scallions, & remaining garlic. cook, stirring constantly, until the scallions begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
add the ricotta & cook until the mixture loses some of its moisture & begins to bind together, about 3 minutes. remove from the heat & beat in the egg. mix in the flour, parmesan, salt & pepper.
with floured hands, using a scant 1 tbs for each, form the ricotta mixture into balls. place the gnocchi in a single layer on a plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap, & freeze until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. meanwhile, bring a lg pot of water to a boil.
add the gnocchi to the boiling water & cook until they float to the top, 5-8 minutes. with a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to a colander to drain. spoon the sauce into four shallow bowls, place several gnocchi on top, & serve hot.
4 servings
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HOMEMADE WHOLE WHEAT PASTA
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
2 tsp olive oil
sift together the flours & salt in a medium bowl, or on a clean cutting board. make a hollow in the center & pour in the olive oil. break the eggs into the hollow one at a time while mixing quickly with a fork, until the dough is wet enough to come together. knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is stiff & elastic. cover. let relax for 30 minutes.
roll out dough with a rolling pin or use a pasta machine to achieve the desired thickness of noodles. cut into desired width & shape. allow the pasta to air dry for at least 15 minutes to prevent it from clumping when cooking.
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HOMEMADE IRISH CREAM LIQUOR
1 (750 milliliter) bottle irish whiskey
8 3/4 oz milk chocolate
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp instant coffee granules
pour a small amount of whiskey into a lg bowl. in the top of a double-boiler, melt chocolate, stirring constantly until smooth. mix the melted chocolate with the whiskey in the bowl. gradually stir in the sweetened condended milk & the evaporated milk. stir in the cream, instant coffee granules, & the remaining whiskey.
pour mixture into 3 (750 ml) bottles, seal & store in the refrigerator. best if kept at least 1 month before using. to serve: shake bottle well. serve in small glasses over crushed ice.