Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Seriously. Easy. Delicious. Fatless!

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1 box cake mix (chocolate, vanilla, white - I used butter) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix cake mix and pumpkin together.
3. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins. 
4. Bake for roughly 30 minutes.

Salted Peanut Butter Cocoa Torte

Here it is!

As you all know by now, I am addicted to Cookie Chips! I absolutely love them, so much so that I wrote the company and brazenly asked for a job (no one can say I don't have Chutzpah!). Alas, Joanne (the owner and CEO!!!!!) called me and said she would give a personal reference to her food broker who sells the Cookie Chips for Hannah Max Baking Company. As of now, you can get Cookie Chips at Safeway. If you have not tried the Cookie Chips yet, I highly recommend this recipe to get started or just go get a bag and take them on a picnic. I assure you they won't last the afternoon!

I made a Lemon Bread Pudding with the Original Cookie Chips and have now created this magnificent, ridiculous, character of delish which I call "Salted Peanut Butter Cocoa Torte." It sounds fancy and looks lovely and sophisticated but is very easy to make. Trust me, it's going to knock people's socks off!

Salted Peanut Butter Cocoa Torte

By: Gwen Akacin

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

1 3/4 Cup Graham Cracker crumbs

1/2 Cup Organic butter (melted)

1/4 Cup bakers sugar

Pie Filling:

1 1/2 Cups Organic Heavy Whipping Cream, Separated

1/4 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup Organic Milk

2 Cups all natural Peanut Butter

3 Envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 Can sweetened condensed milk

Pie Topping:

1 1/2 Cups  Organic Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Bag Sea Salted Peanut Butter Cookie Chips

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar in bowl. Shape the crust into the pan using the bottom of a cup. See that it's as even as possible.

3. Bake crust for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

4. Beat 3/4 cup whipping cream with a mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar until peaks are stiff.

5. In a medium sauce pan at medium low heat, combine milk, the remaining 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk until liquid in consistency and fully combined.

6. Add gelatin to peanut butter and whisk constantly until dissolved.

7. Fold peanut butter mixture into whipped cream until smooth.

8. Pour filling into crust and refrigerate until set about 1 hour.

9. In a mixer, combine whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract and cocoa. Beat until stiff. 

10. Top cooled, set pie with cocoa whipped cream "frosting."

11. Crush whole bag Sea Salted Peanut Butter Cookie Chips with a rolling pin and sprinkle evenly on top of pie.

Cookie Chips

Cookie Chips are only the greatest treat I have ever found! The Original Flavor is 120 calories and tastes like you baked them yourself. They are like chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips, which personally I love! But wait! There's more....flavors, I mean! I also love the Salted Peanut Butter Flavor. I have only been able to find them at Safeway (which I hate because I think Safeway is sub par, at best). However, I'll use that store anyday for these delicious morsels of goodness. Check out HannahMax Bakery if you can't find them. I'm telling you, they are ridiculously amazingly great!

Blackbird Kitchen and Bar = Superb Seafood

Seriously, it is very difficult to find extremely high quality seafood here in Sacramento. And no, McCormick and Shmick is not quality. It is a high volume frozen fish factory.

But the husband and I seemed to have stumbled upon a gem with a capable staff and talented chef/owner. Blackbird is so extraordinary that it's worth the extra shift at work just so we can go once a week. The raw bar is amazing. They have created a mignonette for the oysters that is out of this world and the baked trout is mouthwatering. The thing that is so penultimate about this place is the expected good food of course, but the story behind the existence of it is really intense and worth a talk to the owner. Also, for a fresh seafood restaurant and an amazing atmosphere, the prices are reasonable. And, bonus, it's modern and hip without the hipster pretense. Needless to say, I love it!

Orange Essence Butter Cake With Honey Buttercream

Yummy!

I made this delectable dessert for a holiday party and it was a smash. I'm a big fan of enhancing box cakes with other ingredients.

In this one, follow the directions on the back of the yellow butter cake box but instead of using water, use orange juice instead and add the zest of 1 orange to the batter. Bake as directed.

Also, I home made the candied oranges. It's a simple process which creates a marvelous presentation for this cake. But you can skip it if your short on time and use thinly sliced fresh oranges instead. Boil equal parts sugar and water. Simmer thinly sliced oranges for about 45 minutes. Remove slices from sugar water and dry on parchment. Arrange on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 250 for about 20 minutes checking often so as not to "cook" them. This step is simply to dry them.

Honey Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 Cup butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 cups confectioners sugar 
• 1 Tbs whipping cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Take butter out of the fridge early to ensure that it is at room temperature when you begin making this icing.
2. Use your kitchen Aid if you have one and with the paddle attachment mix the butter and honey until it is smooth. (If you do not have one beat these two ingredients together with an electric beater).
3. Begin to slowly add the confectioners sugar. Continue beating until it's all been added to the consistency you like (you might use 3 cups or you may like a stiffer frosting and add and extra cup. 
4. If you've added that extra sugar, and it's too dense, add the heavy cream until its thinned to the consistency you want.

Bitterballen with Chanterelles - A Dutch Treat

I found this recipe ages ago on Design*Sponge. I made them one night as a nod to my own Dutch heritage and everybody swooned. I made them last Thanksgiving and now I am making them again this year. The styling at Design*Sponge is so spectacular I used their pics here. If you've never been to visit that sensational site, you'd love it. I recommend visiting for some input from Yvette Van Boven who invented the twist on this Dutch favorite. Also, Yvette is a sensational cookbook author and food stylist. I have her book Home Made and it is sensational.

Bitterballen with Chanterelle Mushrooms

The Bitterballen Ingredients

Step by Step

Real Dutch Bitterballen with Chanterelles

Ingredients

1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 handful of flour
1/2 cup (75ml) White Port
2 cups mushroom broth (500ml)
salt, pepper, nutmeg
3 cups chanterelle mushrooms (250 grams)
1 handful of parsley
2-3 eggs
1 handful of fine breadcrumbs

Day 1:

Make the filling:

Fry 1 Onion (chopped) in a wide pan with the butter.  Once the butter has melted add one tablespoon of flour.  Stir and let cook a bit.  Add the White Port and mushroom broth.  Salt and pepper to taste and add some nutmeg.  Add the chanterelles and parsley, and cook this until a thick roux forms.  Let this mixture chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Day 2:

Set up your assembly line:  Set aside three bowls, and a tray lined with parchment paper.  In one bowl place a handful of flour, in one bowl 2-3 eggs, lightly beaten, and in the last bowl, your breadcrumbs.

Divide the mixture in half and roll into two logs.  Cut each log into equal parts, about the size of a large grape.  Roll each ball in flour, then dip in the egg, and then roll in the breadcrumbs.  Repeating the last two steps will help to form a thick, firm crust.

Heat your oil to 350F degrees (180C degrees).  Fry the bitterballen in small batches.

Serve immediately with creamy mustard (made with one part sour cream, one part mustard) and beer!

Homemade Chicken Broth

Halloween is over. Harvest is here and so we move swiftly into the colder winter months.

I don't know about you, but I love soup on a cold winter's eve. And paired with a grilled cheese sandwich...a feast!

Every great soup needs a great stock. More often than not, I use a chicken broth base for all kinds of soup. Today I'll share the broth recipe which you can use in this hearty lentil soup recipe...

Home Made Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 1 large bag baby carrots
• 1 whole onion quartered
• 3 large garlic cloves crushed
• 1 bunch  fresh parsley
• 1 bunch fresh oregano
• 1 carcass of leftover rotisserie chicken
• 1 lemon quartered
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in large soup pot 
2. Cover all ingredients with water
3. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes
4. Reduce heat and simmer until all veggies are tender to the fork (another 40 minutes)
5. Strain through a fine sieve or cheese cloth
6. Store in 16 oz containers until ready to use for soup or for a day when you aren't feeling well.

Just before lowering heat to a simmer.

The leftovers after straining.

The star of the show. Finished stock.

It's Fall

And because it's fall, I have  a whole new batch of recipes for you.

Today's is an Autumn treat that I often serve for Thanksgiving but with all the root veggies in it, it'll carry you right through Christmas too. It's colorful, festive and delicious. It is NOT, however, calorie conscious.

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Maple Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/2 small butternut squash 
• 1/2 small sugar pumpkin
• 3 large parsnips
• 1 bag baby carrots with green tops 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 Sprigs fresh Rosemary
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1/2 Cup Vermont Maple Syrup
• 3/4 Cup Mac Nuts or Marcona Almonds
• Salt and Pepper to Taste 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Chop pumpkin and squash and peel and chop parsnips
3. Melt butter and mix with nuts, maple syrup, crushed garlic and rosemary
4. Put Chopped veggies in a bowl and toss with the butter mixture
5. Butter a large glass baking dish
6. Add veggies to baking dish and generously season with Salt and Pepper
7. Cover Squash mixture with Foil
8. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes covered.
9. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more.

Happy Autumn, Everybody!

 I love the fall. It’s my favorite season right next to summer, and it’s so convenient that they back up to one another.

I think that specific season change is the most exhilarating and more importantly the most enchanting. The leaves changing, time to pull out sweaters, start fires and wear boots. The sun gets lower in the sky, the trees dance more in the crisp breeze and the black cats seem more romantic than usual. And the colors! Oh the colors, so vibrant, so magical.

I ran across this recipe recently. As you know I love to adapt the recipes I find because stealing stinks and I want to make them my own. The adaptation is after the original recipe.

All Recipes calls it Pumpkin Fluff Dip.


Pumpkin Fluff Dip

Ingredients

• 1 Regular sized can Pumpkin Puree
• 1 small sachet of vanilla pudding
• 16 oz. Cool Whip
• 1/2 tsp. each of Nutmeg, Ground Cloves and Cinnamon
• 1 box graham crackers

Instructions

1. Hollow out pumpkin
2. Line pumpkin with cellophane
3. Mix all ingredients together
4. Pour mix into pumpkin
5. Serve on a platter with graham crackers
6. Cover dip with cellophane and store with pumpkin top on in fridge until lready to serve.

Notes

*Adaptation: Change the cool whip to fat free cool whip and change pudding to fat free, sugar free vanilla pudding. You save about 100 calories per serving.