Lemon Yogurt Cake

Even though we've had morning snowflakes, this cake makes me long for spring. It also makes me think of my favorite vacation spot, Italy!
I found this new blog featuring Weight Watcher - Low Calorie recipes on LaaLoosh.com. I bought the ingredients Saturday night and baked it yesterday afternoon. It's just the right blend of sweet and sour, yummy glaze and the calories have been reduced from Ina Garten's recipe to allow yourself a "sweet treat" without the guilt. Check out this blog and find something delicious yet light on the scales.
I found Laa Loosh through ZipList, a great free shopping list and recipe box app for my iPhone. It's a great place to find new recipes. When you add it to your recipe box and decide to try it, a grocery list is created and it sorts it by the different depts. in your store. It's something I always have with me ... better than carrying a list and with items sorted it makes my shopping trip much quicker. I can also pull up a recipe from my recipe box wherever I go. Love this app! I'm also trying some new dinner entrees this week. I'll let you know my review.
Don't have a smart phone? You can still browse the great recipe selection online http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/search Give it a try and let me know what you think!
In the meantime, try this lemon cake. It's like a taste of spring!

Living With Intention -Healthier

Living with intention changes many of my food/meal choices now. When I grocery shop I am reading labels, looking for calorie content, sodium etc. It takes a little longer to go up and down each aisle. It takes time to return home with bags of food and then spend several hours prepping, chopping and cooking items in order to have the best food choices available.
While looking at cans of refried beans I was a little shocked to see the sodium content. I guess that makes it tasty so we will continue to buy their product. So, I decided to buy pinto beans in bulk and look for a recipe online and make my own. I used to make them in the 80's when I lived on the Covert Bailey Fit or Fat diet. I had an idea that there might be a crockpot recipe that would cook them while I'm at work. I tried the following recipe but I didn't have a jalapeno on hand ... they were tasty anyway. The next time I make them, I think I will eliminate the salt all together.
Beans are inexpensive and a good source of protein. They are easy to make and freeze well. Give them a try. It's one small step to a healthier ... and richer YOU!

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
• 9 cups water

Directions

1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 139 | Total Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Crockpot Applesauce

While packing for Sunriver I added a few new recipes to try including ingredients to prepare them. Today I made Crockpot Applesauce, a recipe I found on a Skinnytaste.com, a blog I subscribe to. The author "started Skinnytaste back in 2008 in an attempt to help her stay healthy, experiment with creating skinny recipes, and develop her photography skills to expand her own background as a digital photo retoucher."
The applesauce cooked for 6 hours and it turned out delicious ... the perfect fall accompaniment for our dinner this evening. There are only 65.9 calories per 1/4 cup and 1 point (Weight Watchers). Check out her blog ... you'll find this recipe and many more.

Easter Celebration

This year we hosted a family brunch after Easter church service. Our menu revolved around a Waffle Bar theme. I did a little research online and found some great topping ideas and side dishes. Here's a few of our favorites: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas, fresh pineapple, peaches, creamed honey, peanut butter, Nutella, candied pecans, crushed waffle cones, powdered sugar, raspberry jam, whipped cream, maple syrup, buttermilk syrup, fruit syrup and colorful sprinkles. What fun we had customizing our own waffle delight! In addition we had a spiral ham, Homebased Mom Breakfast Potatoes and egg casserole.
And to top off our family event we celebrated April birthdays with a layered cake and ice cream ... a very filling day.
The Waffle Bar was a great idea and something I would repeat with company for brunch after church one Sunday. If you think of any toppings, please let me know. I would like to expand my list. Just thinking about it ... doesn't caramel topping sound wonderful?!?
What a great day to be with family and celebrate "He is Risen!"
Credits:
Template: LJD 122
WordArt: AEdwards Easter Blessing
Font: Georgia, ChromosoneLight, An Unfortunate Event
Paper: CC Cook gokit paper stripyellite

Homemade Marshmallows

My first Monday of Winter Break I wanted to tackle making homemade marshmallows to go with my December theme for "The Twelve Months of Christmas." I found a recipe on Our Best Bites and decided it had the best instructions for tackling this new cooking adventure. It was really a two-day process and they turned out well but the chocolate dipping was the most time consuming part. Dipping anything in chocolate seems to be a challenge for me : ( They are delicious and Walt wonders why you would go to all the work of making them when you can buy them at the store. No ... these are much better!
The packaging made a fun addition to my December theme. I would definitely make these again. However, if you are considering it, you really do need a stand mixer for the best success!
I feel like having a cup of cocoa right now with a yummy marshmallow afloat!
Credits:
Template: In the Making V
Paper: Beth Long/Cold Winter paper 1
Wordart: In Winter's Arms/dydyge wordart1
Font: Chromosome Light, Pea Noodle's Girlfriend

A Taste of Italy

Still excited from our trip to Italy we wanted to include "A Taste of Italy" in our gift giving this Christmas. I remember our tour guide telling us we could find instructions for making Limoncello online so I did a little research. I found a site that included step-by-step instructions with pictures.
We gathered the ingredients, bottles, and equipment and started the process two weeks before Christmas. After mixing the ingredients the container is placed in a dark cupboard and stirred each day for 7 days. The final step is to add sugar and water and put it in bottles. Pierre told us about great glass flasks at The Container Store so we had several shapes and sizes to choose from. However, when we returned to the store for more, they had sold out! Very popular item this year. The added pleasure of the project was the Dehazes making it at the same time but using oranges instead of lemons.
I should have included a caution on the label: You only need a "thimble-ful" to enjoy the great lemony taste!

Soup = Medicine

Brian and Michelle gave me a Rachael Ray Everyday magazine subscription for my birthday this year ... a gift that I will use year round. I love the recipes, food ideas etc. As soon as it arrived in the mail, I started making a list of recipes to try. One that stood out as an addition to my weekly menu planner was Chicken and Orzo Soup on page 105 in the October 2009 issue. It's in her 30 Minute Meal section so it is very doable time-wise. Since I've been sick Walt helped with some of the chopping and ingredient prep. I have to say it is THE best soup I've had in a long time! Each bite felt like a healing medicine.

Chicken and Orzo Soup
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken stock
2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound chicken tenders cut into small pieces
2 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated or finely chopped
1/3 lb mushroom caps, quartered
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup orzo pasta
2 cups arugula, chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
1 tsp grated lemon peel
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, for passing around the table

1. In a medium soup pot, bring the chicken stock and 2 cups water to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, in another soup pot, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes Add the thyme and bay leaf, then stir in the onion, carrot and mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook the vegetables until softened, 6 to 7 minutes.
3. Pour the hot stock over the vegetables and bring to a boil. *Stir in the orzo and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the arugula and basil to wilt. Stir in the lemon peel, discard the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Serve with lots of grated cheese at the table.
Serves 4

Even though I am still running a slight fever, Walt took me out for a drive in the country between Wilsonville and Sherwood this afternoon. With the warm sunshine filling the truck and the relaxing view of the countryside ... I came home feeling a bit human again.
Now ... back to the couch!

*Revised 10.10.09 Michelle pointed out that I forgot to include instructions for adding the orzo, arugula and basil. Sorry about that ... it must have been the fever : ) Thanks, Michelle!

Wallowa Baking Day

I was asked to provide cookies for a memorial service at church this weekend so I thought it would be good to also bake for Wallowa. After going through my recipe cards -- old technology! -- I decided I would make a few of my favorites from the past.
Chocolate Crackles have always been my favorite. It is much like a powdered sugar brownie if under-baked a bit. Seems like I only bake them at Christmas now that we are empty-nesters. Rae is a big fan of these cookies so they made the top of my baking list.

Chocolate Crackles
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 c. salad oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (never have added this)
about 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Melt chocolate. Combine with sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time; beat well. Add vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts -if using them. Chill dough. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough in powdered sugar. Roll to coat. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 mins. Cool on rack. Makes 4 dozen

Every Tuesday -when the kids were little and I was a SAHM- was baking day on my weekly schedule. It was nice to have one day where the aroma of fresh baked cookies, muffins, cakes, cobblers, crisps, and an occasional pie filled the kitchen. I think when Costco came to town and we got so involved with sports, my Tuesday baking days became history : ( Also, trying to bake in an oven nearly as old as our firstborn can be challenging at times, too.
Ranger Cookies were one of my all-time favorite cookies back then. I copied the recipe from a Current cookbook ... remember Current, Inc.???? In fact, the recipe card is so worn, it's hard to see the ingredients/measurements. Well, okay ... my eyesight is not the same either : )



Ranger Cookies
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup coconut
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together margarine, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Blend until smooth. Fold in remaining ingredients. Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with tines of a fork. Bake 10 mins.

Another Wallowa favorite is marshmallow treats. I also make Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispies that are hard to resist. Seems like marshmallow treats taste dull after a few days so they need to be consumed at the beginning of our vacation. I know there will be "volunteers" to solve this dilemma.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispies
2 cusp chunky peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 TBLS margarine or butter
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a 2-qt saucepan cook peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and margarine over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth (5 to 6 minutes). Stir in vanilla. In large bowl add mixture to cereal; stir to coat. Spread into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. In 1-qt saucepan melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until completely melted (4 to 5 mins). Spread over bars Cool completely. Cut into bars. Yield: 36 bars

Well, the kitchen is nearly back in order and time to take a break from the cookie sheets and oven. I am so thankful for AC on a day like today : )

Cookie Recipes

Marie ... I am posting the recipes you requested. Happy Baking : )









Chocolate Crackles
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup salad oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omit these)
about 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate. Combine sugar and oil. Add melted chocolate. Add eggs one at a time; beat well. Add vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts. Chill dough. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough in powdered sugar. Roll to coat. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on rack.

I usually double this recipe. I use a cookie scoop to measure cookie dough, roll into balls, drop into a large zip loc bag containing the powdered sugar, zip it shut, shake to cover cookies and then place on cookie sheet.
I like them a bit under baked ... kind of the texture of a brownie.

Gooey Mixed Nut Bars
from the kitchen of Kim

Crust: 1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup soft butter
Using a pastry blender, mix well until crumbly. Press in an ungreased 11 x 7 pan and bake for 15 minutes @ 350 degrees.

In a kettle combine:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup corn syrup
Cook on medium heat until melted. Add 1 12 oz can mixed nuts and stir till coated. Spread on crust.

Bake 10 minutes.
Cool before cutting.

The chocolate peanut butter cookie recipe is on the back of the bag of chips and I didn't save it. Oops : (
Merry Christmas Eve

Fantasy Fudge

I believe the tradition of making six pounds of Fantasy Fudge on Thanksgiving morning goes back to when we were first married. We are now passing this long-term tradition down to the next generation. When most families "fight" over the wishbone ... we battle over who gets to "clean" the fudge pan and lick the spoons : )
At our house there are two kinds of fudge -- Yummy (includes nuts) and Boring (plain old fudge). We have to pour one pan of each to satisfy everyone's preference. Walt convinced the kids years ago that Boring fudge was the best which left more Yummy fudge for me! Way to go Walt ...