ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine

Cream butter & sugar, then mix in water and vanilla.  Add the flour and chopped nuts.

Chill 4 hours in fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Watch them the last couple of minutes to make sure they don’t burn.

Take them out of the oven and drop them into a bowl of powdered sugar while they are still warm.  Set out to cool.

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We had a baking frenzy on Saturday to get the treat boxes ready to take with us to church on Sunday, and these were the favorite of those that we baked.  They take a little longer to bake than most of the others, but the extra time is worth it!  These are the cookies that Grandmas, Nanas and Babushkas all over used to bake, and they are soooooooo good.

I ended up rolling them slightly smaller so the dough would go further, and I actually like them that way – just enough for a taste, but not so much that you feel like you might overdo it if you eat two…

• 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup light brown cane sugar
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 3 egg equivalent in Ener-G egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup vegetable oil**

• 2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 can (about 14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup shredded coconut

• nuts and raisins optional

Faux Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 8 oz package of vegan cream cheese
• 1/3 cup vegan soy margarine (like Earth Balance), softened.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups vegan confectioners sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, spice, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer combine sugar and egg replacer until creamy.  Add vanilla, then add vegetable oil or applesauce.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and add carrots, pineapple, and coconut.

Grease pan. Smooth batter into pan. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to let the cake adequately cool before frosting.

For a thicker cake, use a 9×9 glass pan. For a thinner cake with more servings, use a 13×9.  You can also make them in a cupcake pan or 2 loaf pans.

Faux Cream Cheese Frosting recipe:

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and margarine. Add vanilla, then add sugar.

This entire recipe tastes just like the real thing! It just made it last night and it is so delicious!

Makes: 9 servings, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes

**Substitutions**

For the egg replacer – I used pineapple juice drained from the pineapple chunks instead of water.  I had it and I thought I’d give the cake an extra boost of flavor.

Again, I don’t use vegetable oil.  I subbed with applesauce as usual.

Since I had a young coconut in the fridge I used that instead of dried shredded coconut.  I just ran it through the shredder with the carrots.  I tried to run the pineapple chunks through as well, but that really didn’t work.  I ended up cutting up the pineapple chunks I had by hand instead.

I accidentally added 3 cups of carrots instead of the 2 called for – I mixed it up with another recipe.  It worked out pretty well though.

I also added 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries.

I don’t do soy-based cream cheese frosting.  Instead of that I used my trusty old standby Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting – wow, was it tasty!

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I am apparently in a baking mood today – zucchini bread and carrot cake back to back.  That or I’m just hungry   I found this recipe over at VegWeb.com where it was submitted by Tate.  I was looking at both this recipe and this one by Ina Garten so I’m sure that there are places other than just the extra cup of carrots that I merged them but I don’t recall them.

Just so you know, these muffins by no means need the frosting – and they are better for you without it – but what is a good tropical-inspired carrot cake without frosting?  I mean really.

So why did I pick a vegan recipe?  Well, I ran out of eggs but I have scads of egg replacer!  Shhh – don’t tell!

So yeah – that’s my version of this yummy cake!  And I would have to agree, next to the Oregon Farms boxed cake (now Sarah Lee), this is one of the best carrot cakes I have tried yet.  I’m still trying to duplicate that one though!  Yum…

Oh – and the kids LOVE it!

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 tsp. vanilla

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt

• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine the first 5 ingredients (wet) in a mixing bowl.  Sift together the next 5 (dry) into another bowl, and combine being sure to mix well.

If you are adding nuts, fold them in at this time.

Pour the batter into three greased loaf pans and bake for 1 hour.

**Substitutions**
I don’t use vegetable oil for anything.  I substituted applesauce for the oil and they taste great.

I also used a bit of sucanat in place of some of the sugar – it gives it a richer, more molasses-y taste.  It’s like brown sugar, but a little stronger.  It’s made in a different way.

One other thing – I don’t recommend using paper cups if you choose to make muffins.  These are pretty sticky and it’s hard to peel the paper off.  I did this time since I knew I had more than one batch of muffins to make and needed the pan again soon.

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I’m not sure where we got this recipe, but it’s been travelling around with us for a few years and the whole family loves it!  Fortunately it makes more than one loaf, since the first loaf is usuallt gone within the first 2 hours or so of being baked.  It also makes great muffins to toss into a lunch box.

Each year we get a 1/4 of a pig to put into the freezer, and there are times that I want to find a new way to cook some of that pork.

I found a great resource for tips and recipes for people like me!  So, I thought I’d share it with you.

Head over to TheOtherWhiteMeat.com and download some (or all) of these great .pdf’s on pork!  I think I’m going to try out the one for the Pork Tenderloin this week…

Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pudding was one of those treats from childhood that you remember, then forget, then something brings it back to mind.  But oh, what a treat it is!

Last Summer I went to New York to see my youngest cousin graduate from college, and while we were there she took us to one of the many cupcake shops that are popping up.  This one served bananna cream pudding, and it was near perfection.  Just like mom used to make (and I can say that – my mom was there and said it too!)  It is complete with the soft, cakey chunks of cookie inside that remind you of pie crust, only better.

This is a cheater version for those that don’t want to make the pudding from scratch, and it has a little something extra in it… Chocolate!

And no, there isn’t anything about this dessert that is low-fat or healthy (well, except the bananas).  It is a treat, a delicious, cool Summer treat.

Ingredients

• 1-4.6 oz pkg vanilla cook & serve pudding
• 1-3.4 oz pkg chocolate fudge cook & serve pudding
• 5 cups of milk (per box directions)
• 3-5 bananas (depends on how many bananas you like in it)
• Nilla Wafers – just get a box
• 12 oz. heavy whipping cream or whipped cream

Make the pudding according to package directions, combining them while cooking.  While you have someone stirring that prepare your large bowl by dumping in some nilla wafers.  Some people will get fance here – layering the nilla wafers and the pudding so it’s pretty, but since you have to stir it all up later, I don’t bother.  I just dump in a generous mound of cookies about 2 inches tall in the bowl.

When the pudding has reached it’s full boil, pour it over the cookies and stir to make sure there aren’t any air pockets around the cookies – you just want pudding surrounding them!  Chill until set, about 3 hours or so.

When the pudding is set, slice the bananas into it and stir it all together.  Whip the cream until it’s stiff and fold it into the pudding gently.

If desired, garnish with sliced bananas, Nilla wafers and whipped cream.

Enjoy!

These are a tribute to Starvin’ Arvin’s in Grand Junction – the originator of the Green Supreme.  I was missing them the other day and decided to try my hand at making up my own.  It helped that I had some green chili on hand (leftover from the camping trip potluck the night before).

WHAT YOU NEED:

• eggs – scrambled, over easy, sunny side up, filled with garlic, whatever your preference
• green chili – you will need LOTS of this!  Well, if you are like us anyway.  Check out the recipe here
• sour cream
• cheddar cheese
• fluffy biscuits (we made ours with some cheddar inside – sooooo good!)

Basic Bisquick biscuits work great – just don’t roll them out.  You want all of those nooks and crannies to catch everything.   Put 1 to 3 biscuits on each plate – depending on the size of the biscuits and the appetites you are serving.

<biscuits>

Lay an egg or two over and around the biscuits.

<eggs & biscuits>

Cover both with lots of green chili.  Then add some more   Oh, and cheese.  Generously sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and the chili.  Top with a dollop of sour cream.

<all together now>

Voila!  These are soooo good.  Not quite heuvos rancheros, more than just eggs and chili, and just right.

Part of the beauty of these is that you can make most of it a day or so ahead & just warm it up.  Makes it good for a group.

This is one of those recipes that doesn’t have any exact measurements… just get the basic ingredients and you’re golden.

Oh, and it can be as hot as you can handle it, but it’s rarely terribly cool.  It all depends on the peppers used.  These are the basic guidelines…

Ingredients:

• 2 Anaheim chilis
• 2 jalapenos (the redder the better)
• olive oil
• 1 med sweet onion
• 6+ cloves garlic
• 6 pork chops, cubed
• 4 tomatillos
• 2 cans Herdez salsa verde
• water (usually around 2-4 cups)
• flour (1 Tbsp for every cup of water)

In a dry saute pan over med-high dry roast the chilies until the skins blister.  Cut off the stems and empty the seeds out (unless you want the heat they add).  Chop them up and set aside.

Chop the tomatillos and set aside.

Peel and chop the onion and garlic.  Drizzle some olive oil in the saute pan and caramelize the onion & garlic.  When the onion is translucent add the chilies and tomatillos and saute together until caramelized.  Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pan brown the pork on all sides.  Add the onion mixture and the Herdez salsa verde.  If you need more liquid, combine a tablespoon of flour with a cup of water and add to the pan.  Add more as needed.

Allow this to cook down for about 20 minutes.  The longer it sits, the more flavor it will have.

Serve with warm tortillas, chips, sour cream or as part of a green supreme (recipe coming soon).

Enjoy!

*It is also very tasty made with chicken.

** make it vegeretian by leaving out the pork, but be warned that the pork or chicken really adds a lot of “filler” and makes it go much further.

We usually make a double batch of these, when we have all of the ingredients on hand.  I have increased te liquid by using kefir instead of dry milk powder too – I just added a touch more flour.

This recipe makes eight very flaky biscuits.
Sift twice to combine well:

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

With a pastry blender, or two knives, cut in 1/3 cup shortening.
Add:

1 cup fresh starter
1/2 cup flour, or more to make the dough kneadable

When blended, knead two or three times.  Roll out or pat until 1/2 inch thick.  Cut in half, place one half over the other and roll out again.  Repeat this about eight times.  Cut out biscuits, place
on ungreased cookie sheet.  If desired, brush tops with oil or melted butter.  Let stand 30 minutes.  Bake 30 minutes at 375 F
or 10-12 minutes at 450 F.

For dessert shortcakes, increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons and add one egg.

This is one of the more basic batters for crepes, but whe you don’t have a lot on hand and you want a crepe, it does the job!

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour (Wondra is recommended, but any will work)
• 2 cups water (we often do 1/2 milk)
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend for 3-5 minutes, or until very well blended and frothy.

Let it sit for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Over med-high heat, warm up a crepe pan or 10″ fry pan and add 1 Tbsp butter.  Pour about 1/2 cup of batter in and swirl it around the sides and bottom of the pan.  Let it sit until the sides begin to pull away from the pan.  At this point I flip the crepe, but some say that “isn’t proper”.

The crepe should slide out of the pan easily.

Fill with your choice of fruits, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nutella & bananas, etc, or go the savory route with an egg crepe (just a whipped egg made in the same way), caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, salsa and cheese, etc.

The basic crepe is a wonderful canvas upon which to add a variety of flavors.  Make up a bunch and freeze or refrigerate them for later!

So good…

So, you have burritos or tacos, and you just want a little something to go with them, right?  Or perhaps you are one who likes to have rice inside your burritos… well, here is a great rice that’s a cinch to make!

Ingredients:

• pre-cooked rice (we use leftovers) about 1-2 cups is good
• 1 can Herdez Salsa Verde (not a jar, a can)
• 1/2 sweet onion – chopped
• garlic – minced
• diced fire-roasted chilies – optional
• olive oil – for the pan

Pour some oil into a large skillet or saute pan.  Saute the garlic and onions (and chilies if using) until they just start to carmalize.

Add the cooked rice to the pan, stir a bit, and pour the salsa verde over it.  Stir again.  Cook until it’s warmed throughout.

Serve, eat and enjoy!

Told you it was easy…

This also transports very well, and it’s even better after it sits for a day or so.  Some people don’t like any spice, but for those that do, you can easily substitute a diced jalapeño or two for the can of chilies.