Replies

http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/02/a-taste-of-sweet-corn-lace/#

I must start this by saying: Forgive the plain-Jane picture. I had planned to play around with some of cookies and take pictures, but these things are so darned good that I remembered my plan the second I finished the last one. Oops.

May I introduce you to Sweet Corn Lace, straight from Alice Medrich’s Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts. The other night, I wanted to extend my baking reach and try out some cookies I’ve never had before. Since I also wanted to be free of the allure of sugary death, I hoped to find something relatively healthy as well. Enter Sweet Corn Lace.

This delicate cookie is much simpler than it looks to make, and has a delicious, light, and sweet finish. Basically, it tastes like a sweeter, cinnamon-tinged homemade corn flake. The only problem is — they’re so light and airy, and taste so much like the cereal, that it’s quite easy to eat them all. Luckily they’re only 18 calories a cookie. Continue through the jump to check out the recipe, and if you try them, let me know what you think!

Sweet Corn Lace

Ingredients:
7 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces
3/8 tsp salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal

* To do two batches at once, place oven racks on bottom and top third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. (If you have large, un-rimmed sheets, double-batches are less necessary.)
* Cut foil the same size as your sheets, and spray with cooking spray.
* Combine 2 tbsp sugar with the cinnamon and set aside for later.
* In a medium saucepan over medium heat, simmer 1 2/3 cup water with sugar, butter, and salt. Pull from heat, add cornmeal, and stir until the mix is smooth and thick (this will take a minute or two).
* These cookies are flattened, so appropriately space rounded teaspoons of the mix on your foil. Cover the balls with saran wrap and flatten the cookies with the heel of your hand, and then your fingers. They should be less than 1/16” thick.

lace dough

* Peel off the wrap (you can use it again on the next batch) and sprinkle the cookies with the cinnamon sugar.
* Slide the foil onto your baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness, until cookies are evenly golden brown. As they cook, they’ll expand and crack. It’ll look like they’ve broken apart like the picture above, but they’ll still be in one piece.
* Keep an eye on the cookies, and if some start to look done before others, rotate your sheets left to right and top to bottom to bake evenly.
* Use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a paper towel, cool, and store. (Cookies last 3-4 days if you can refrain from eating them that long.)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/healthycheapcooking/message/883

RECIPE: Molasses-Fruit-Nut Bread

I can't remember where I got this recipe, I think from ‘Recipes for a Small Planet’ by Ellen Ewald (sort of a sister book to ‘Diet for a Small Planet’. It has a lot of really good whole grain baked goods.

This is a nice quick bread; serve with cream cheese or ricotta. It's not very sweet.

Pat

* Exported from MasterCook *

Molasses Fruit-Nut Bread

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads and Muffins

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs — beaten
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon orange rind — grated
3/4 cup milk
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts — chopped (can add up to 1 cup)

Stir dry ingredients together, including raisins and nuts.

Beat wets together.

Add wets to dries and combine carefully. Mixture will be stiff. You *might* have to add a little more milk, but it really is quite stiff; that's OK.

Bake in an oiled loaf pan at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 372 Calories; 14g Fat (31.6% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 50mg Cholesterol; 155mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

— Northern Pennsylvania
‘Every one of us can do something to protect and care for our planet. We should live in such a way that makes a
future possible.’ - Thich Nhat Hanh

Gluten-Free Oats

I get a newsletter from Bob's Red Mill - they have good whole-grain products, btw, and you can buy online.

They now sell something new: Gluten Free Oats. They have both rolled oats and steel-cut oats.

They have a whole lot of other Gluten-Free products, including bread and dessert mixes.

I don't have this problem (thank heavens!) but I thought I'd just mention it for those who do.

Oats:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=680

and

http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=681

Gluten-free products in general:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten_free_info.php

Pat

http://www.entire-of-itself.blogspot.com/
In Pennsylvania's Northern Tier, northeastern USA.

‘Be the change that you want to see in the world’
Mohandas Gandhi

It might be worth signing up for the Bob's Red Mill newsletter to get recipes and information for new and existing gluten free products.
10th

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/10/24/how-to-make-homemade-marshmallows/

You, too, can make homemade marshmallows

Posted Oct 24th 2006 9:55AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Recipes, How To

Homemade marshmallows are definitely one of my favorite candies. Unlike store-bought marshmallows, they are like little clouds of sweetness that are soft, tender and melt in your mouth. They are easy to eat, go perfectly with coffee, flavored coffee drinks and hot chocolate, and are ideal for making s’mores. They are also surprisingly easy to make, and very impressive when you bring them out to serve to friends or family. The only real drawback is that you really need a stand mixer to make them, as it allows you to keep your hands free while you’re working and has a very large whisk (as opposed to the beaters of a hand-held mixer) that does the job quickly and efficiently.

I really recommend using vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean crush instead of plain vanilla extract because the tiny bean specks really look fantastic in the finished candy. Read on for the recipe, which I have made and enjoyed countless times:

Homemade Marshmallows

.75-oz unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes of Knox gelatin)
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Line 9 x 9-inch pan with plastic wrap and lightly oil it. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, to high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, add in the vanilla extract beat to incorporate.

Scrape marshmallow into the prepared pan and spread evenly (Lightly greasing your hands and the spatula helps a lot here). Take another piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap and press lightly on top of the marshmallow, creating a seal. Let mixture sit for a few hours, or overnight, until cooled and firmly set.

In a shallow dish, combine equal parts cornstarch and confectioners’ sugar. Remove marshmallow from pan and cut into equal pieces with scissors (the best tool for the job) or a chef’s knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners’ sugar mixture.

Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 40 large marshmallows, depending on the size you choose to cut them.

http://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/17/cattails-the-supermarket-of-the-swamp-part-two/

Cattails: The supermarket of the swamp part two

Posted Jun 17th 2008 11:01AM by Neil Goldstein
Filed under: Frugal Food, Vegetables, Spring, Wild Edibles
cattail flowers
Back when I first wrote about cattails, I promised a return to the subject soon for something I described as cattails on the cob. Allow me to explain this delicacy to you. In the late spring, if you watch cattail plants, you will notice that the well known sausage-like fruits of the cattail plant start to mature inside of the central leaves. Look at the leaves for a swelling and pull them out of the plant. If you slowly peel the husks away, you will find the two parts of the cattail flower inside. The upper, or male part of the flower is what we’re after. These green spikes will bloom and produce pollen once they emerge from the husk which makes the season very short. If you find too many already blooming, don’t fret, because the pollen is another of the offerings of this amazing plant.

Amy, Alec, and I journeyed Saturday once again to The Great Vly Swamp, in West Camp, New York. While Amy and Alec sought after dragonflies and birds to photograph, I started checking the cattails. I had just caught the season at the tail end, as many of the flowers were covered with pollen, and some of the sausage-like seed heads had already started to form. Even this late in the season, I still managed to harvest enough of the flower spikes to make an interesting side dish. Before we left the swamp, I grabbed a clean bag and collected some pollen by carefully bending the stem of the pollen covered flower into the bag and hitting the stem a couple of times. I managed to get about half a cup, but could have collected a lot more.

A quick look around before leaving gave me some other reasons to return to the swamp at a later date. Pickerelweed which will produce a nutty snack food in the early fall, and arrowheads, which produce a good wild potato substitute.
To cook the flower spikes, remove any remaining husks, and wash well. Boil or steam for 10 to 15 minutes, and drain. The spikes usually need something to offset a slightly dry texture. I simply used garlic butter this time, but olive oil with salt and pepper, or even a cheese sauce works too. The central core is inedible, like its distant relation corn, but much smaller. Strip the covering off of the core with your teeth to eat. You will find the flavor vaguely reminiscent of corn, but unique to itself. Everyone at the table enjoyed them, and I’m sure your family will too.

I have also read that you can strip the spikes after cooking, chop well, and mix with eggs and cheese into an excellent souffle. If I can find more of these, I will definitely report back on this recipe. I’m sure there are plenty of other uses for the spike material too.

I didn’t get to use the pollen yet. I usually add it to pancake or biscuit flour. It gives whatever you add it to a golden color, and adds protein. There are so many uses for this plant. It is definitely one of the best wild foods available. This fall we will return to the swamp to get some of the tubers for making flour, or just roasting and eating. Please remember to leave some seed heads so that the plants can develop, and as always, please forage in a safe place, far from heavy pollutants. See you on the trail!

Neil Goldstein
Photos by Amy Goldstein

http://www.slashfood.com/category/wild-edibles/

Wild Edibles: Red & White Clover

Posted Aug 31st 2008 11:01AM by Jonathan M. Forester
Filed under: Summer, Wild Edibles

Red & White Clover are both edible raw in salads, as cooked greens, and more. The young and tender shoots and greens can be tasty, but older ones can get tough. Just stick to ones that look fresh and haven’t gone grass-like and you should be fine. The flower heads are nutritious and full of protein but they should either be soaked in salty water for a few hours or briefly boiled or cooked before eating; so that they are easier to digest. Eating them raw is usually not as good an experience. I like them stir fried or sauteed until well done, or lightly battered and made into fritters or tempura. I find that the saltiness of the tempura dipping sauce works well with them. If the blossoms seem past their prime, or even going to seed, all the better. Because then you can dry them and grind them into a protein rich and nutritious flour. Just don’t try to cook and eat them unless they are soft and fresh, or they will be quite unappetizing.

I was personally introduced to them when I was studying wilderness survival, and one day we had to prepare and eat them every way we could. It wasn’t a high point of the week long course, but not the low point either.

One time when I was leading a three week trip in the wilderness and it was near the end of the course. Most of the food was gone and we had been living off the land for a few days. Most of spices were gone, as well as the staples, but we still had a liter bottle of soy sauce and of cooking oil, that had been hidden at the bottom of a food pack; and a few pounds of biscuit mix. I sent half the students off to pick berries. Raspberries, Blackberries, and June Berries; all of which were growing near our camping spot that night. The rest I split up and asked to go into the meadow and pick the biggest, fattest, best looking red clover blossoms they could find; as well as any wild onions. That night for dinner we had Red Clover fritters, some with wild onions, some plain; dipped in a sweetened and spiced soy sauce. For desert were fruit biscuits. Everyone ate until they were full, a hearty appetite the best sauce of all.

Backyard Tea: Raspberry and Blackberry Leaves

Posted Aug 30th 2008 11:01AM by Jonathan M. Forester
Filed under: Health & Medical, Summer, Fall, Wild Edibles

While many people enjoy noshing on fresh blackberries and raspberries that the pick along roadsides and on the edges of abandoned fields, not many know how good an herbal tea the leaves are. Mildly astringent, they are quite refreshing. A teaspoon of honey makes it more so.

Besides an interesting tisane, it has medicinal benefits. According to the Peterson Guide to Medicinal Plants, years ago it was commonly used for stomach pains, diarrhea and dysentery, to strengthen pregnant women, as an aid in childbirth, for menstrual problems, and as a wash for sores and infections. Talk about a cure-all.

http://www.slashfood.com/category/wild-edibles/

http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/09/slashfood-ate-8-ways-to-add-muscovado-sugar-to-a-recipe/

Slashfood Ate (8): Ways to add muscovado sugar to a recipe

Posted Dec 9th 2008 5:00PM by Max Shrem
Filed under: Slashfood Ate, Bakeries, Sugar
Dark muscovado sugar
I have been on a wild sugar kick the past couple of months. It started with demerara sugar. I used this sugar instead of ordinary white sugar or brown sugar, and I was shocked at the difference. The flavor was extraordinarily sweet and syrupy in a way I had never been used to in past culinary endeavors. What makes different sugars unique is how they’re processed. For instance, demerara sugar is unrefined sugar coming from pressed sugar cane that’s steamed .

Now, I’m on to the next sugar: muscovado. Muscovado is also unrefined but, compared to demerara, it has a more pronounced molasses flavor. Unlike brown sugar which is refined white sugar with molasses added to it, muscovado’s brown color and flavor come directly from sugarcane juice. Recently, I have been using muscovado as a replacement for brown sugar. Its exquisite long lingering flavor makes it perfect for other rich flavors when baking ginger bread cookies, chocolate cakes, fudges, and much more.

Below are 8 ways to add muscovado sugar to a recipe next time your baking:

1. Martha Stewart’s muscovado soy biscuits
2. Muscovado and hazelnut tart with yoghurt sorbet
3. Butterscotch Pots de Crème
4. Gingerbread cookies - Substitute the brown sugar with muscovado
5. Muscovado sugar cookies
6. Christmas Pudding - I highly recommend making this decadent fruity pudding this holiday season.
7. Caramelized Nectarines
8. Pigs’ ears - These delicious confections are in the shape of pigs’ ears.

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/243

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats
Posted by joythebaker on December 5th, 2008. Filed under: Creamy, Holiday, Recipes.

Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats

Some things are over the top for even me. Some things are so good that they actually hurt. I’m a real sucker for all chocolate and peanut butter combinations… but really!? Chocolate, peanut butter AND Rice Krispy Treats? Out of control. I think I pulled a baking muscle. These bars are so rich, so over the top, so peanut buttery, that I think I need to stick to only baking broccoli this weekend. I think I hurt myself.

These are just the treats I want to pawn off on my neighbors and coworkers. They’ll thank me, and they’ll hate me. I can live with that.

Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats

This recipe comes in three parts. Three crazy good, belly busting, lick the spoon over and over and over again parts. And they’re easy too! Yea.. this recipe is nothing but trouble.

I made these bars in a 9×13-inch pan and cut the bars into 1-inch squares, although I think even those were too large.

Rice Krispy Treats

* 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
* - OR -
* 4 cups miniature marshmallows
* 6 cups Rice Krispy Cereal (or any puffed rice cereal)

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. ( You may want to line your pan with parchment paper or waxed paper large enough to have flaps hanging over the sides. This will make it easy to pull the giant block of goodness out of the pan when it’s done. I just forgot this step.) Cool. Make Peanut Butter Fudge.

Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats

Peanut Butter Fudge

recipe from Alton Brown

* 1 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 pound powdered sugar

Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats

Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Pour over the Rice Krispy treats in the pan and spread evenly. Let cool in the fridge while you make the Chocolate Fudge.
Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats

Easy Chocolate Fudge

* 2 Tbsp butter
* 2/3 cup evaporated milk
* 1 2/3 cups sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 cups miniature marshmallows
* 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats
Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, vanilla, and nuts. Beat for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows melt and mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour over peanut butter fudge, spread evenly and place in the fridge to harden and cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces or smaller and give to your friends. They’ll thank you, sort of.
Peanut Butter Fudge Krispy Treats

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/168

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola or corn oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup butterscotch chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/128

Keep reading, I have a story to tell you about this pie.

I met this girl. Ok, maybe ‘met’ is a strong work. She’s in Alabama, I’m in California. We’re blog buddies. Her name is Evan and she might be one of the most darling people of the face of the planet. Evan has a new blog called Buttercakes by Evan. If you love me at all you’ll hop on over there right now and show Evan some love.

Evan was recently kind enough to send me her grandmothers cookbook Panache at Rose Hill. See, Evan’s grandmother and her business partner bought a southern planters home of 25 acres of land. With a few loans, help from husbands, and a lot of elbow grease, they transformed the home into a beautiful restaurant and event site. The cookbook is an account of that journey, a brief history of the land and the house, and an absolutely amazing Southern cookbook.

I’m so honored to have this book. Thank you so much Evan.

I knew I had to try the Buttermilk Pie with Warm Blackberry Sauce. It sounded like the perfect southern treat. The pie bakes up pale and sweet, with just a hint of tang from the buttermilk. I served mine chilled with warm blackberry sauce. It’s gorgeous. Right now, it’s just the thing to cure my nap hangover.

Thank you Evan. Thank you bunches!

Buttermilk Pie with Warm Blackberry Sauce

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 stick melted butter, slightly cooled.

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons pur vanilla extrct

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Beat eggs slightly. Mix sugar and flour well and add to the eggs. Mix until creamy. Add melted butter, mixing well. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (my pie took about 1 hour and 15 minutes) until the custard sets. Tip: the custard will still jiggle a bit in the oven even when it’s set. Just make sure that the middle does not jiggle a lot more than the sides. That means it needs more time.

Blackberry Sauce

1/2 cup seedless blackberry preserves

1 Tablespoon Chamborde liqueur, also consider orange liqueur or a bit of Triple Sec

Pour the preserves in a saucepan and arm on medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whip until smooth. Remove from heat and add liqueur. Let cool slightly and drizzle over pie.

Pie Dough

2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk, cold

Cut butter into 1 inch pieces and place in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.

Sift together the flour and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Sifting eliminates lumps and aerates the mixture, making the dough tender and lighter. Add the partially frozen butter and the salt. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the butter is reduced to the size of broken walnut meats. Stop the machine and by hand pinch flat any large pieces of butter that remain.

Turn the mixer on low speed and add the buttermilk all at once. Mix until the dough comes together, about 15 seconds. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky, and still rather shaggy.

Remove the dough from the bowl and quickly form into a rough disk. Wrap in plastic. Try not to overowrk the dough. Chill for at least 1 hour before rolling out. At this point the dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. For freezing roll the dough into sheets and wrap them in airtight plastic film first.

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/161

I’m giving you the heads up. It’s pumpkin time people. Are you with me?

Consider this pumpkin recipe as your Fall lemon bar. Think of this pumpkin recipe as reason not to have to roll out a pie crust. Think of this pumpkin recipe when you want a nip from the Bourbon bottle while you’re baking. Is that a crime? I think not.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

adapted from Kraft
1-1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) cold butter or margarine
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)
a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips for sprinkling on top (optional)

HEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; grease foil. Mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.

RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, pumpkin and spice with mixer until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and a handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips (if desired).

BAKE 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Can’t find pumpkin pie spice? Simply mix 1 tsp. each ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and allspice, then use as directed.
AddThis

Some recipes are good enough to serve at the church picnic. Some recipes are fine enough to take to the family barbecue. Other recipes you know will satisfy your office coworkers. Those savages will eat just about anything.

Then there’s the recipe that you pull out of your back pocket when you’re looking for love.

This beautifully simple Apple Crisp recipe is that “get a man (or woman!) and hold on to him (or her!) recipe”. If you already have that man, consider this your “it’s time for a ring” recipe, or your “sorry I scratched the bumper of our new car” recipe, maybe even the “thanks for working so hard today honey… I made the house smell like warm apples with this apple crisp just for you” recipe. See, I’m looking out for you.

This recipe is the perfect balance of warm memories and good love. The warm apples tossed with sugar and cinnamon beautifully collide with the toasted, crunchy topping.

It’s a dream come true.

So the Bake a Warm Apple Crisp and Get a Man experiment hasn’t yet worked for me. That’s mostly because I haven’t tried it yet.

But Ann, the generous lady at Fidget who was kind enough to share this recipe with me, has had oodles of success. She wooed her husband with this very recipe and still has requests for the apple crisp from Mr. Fidget six years later. It works!

Sit and Stay Awhile Apple Crisp

recipe from Ann of Fidget

bake in an 8×8 baking dish or double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 dish

Filling:
5 to 6 medium-size apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.

Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. Toss the apple mixture until evenly coated in cinnamon sugar. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take one full handful of the topping and toss it into the sugared apple mixture. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples. (I usually end up with a dough-like topping that I just lay on top of the apples).

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.

Serve hot; it’s excellent with vanilla ice cream.

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/167

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/84

I’ll admit, I think olive oil is sexy. Extra Virgin Olive Oil especially, sends me over the moon. The rich, full and nutty smell, the beautiful translucent green color, and the way the taste coats my mouth. It’s just gorgeous. I’ve been known to buy a fresh baguette on the way home from work and simply eat warm bread with plates full of olive oil. I think I’ve also put the stuff in my hair as a conditioner, and on my hands as a lotion. But that’s sounding like a whole other blog, so let’s not get into that.

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies with Almond Glaze. Sounds like there’s a lot going on in one humble cookie, right? It’s amazing how the flavors and sweetness meld together to create a unique, yet strangely familiar taste treat. These essentially taste like a darling lemon sugar cookie, but with a slight (sexy) hint of olive oil. I tested these on unsuspecting, but die hard cookie fans, and they couldn’t put their finger on the olive oil without me pointing it out. The verdict- two thumbs up.

Not only does olive oil smell gorgeous and taste great, it’s also good for you! There’s a reason why the Italians are so beautiful, and I think it’s something in the olive oil. Olive oil has less fat than butter, and has mono-saturated fats which are good for you heart. It’s a great substitute for butter in these cookies.

I found that the batter for these cookies comes out a little wet, almost like cake batter. I spooned the batter onto a greased and floured cookie sheet by the tablespoonful, and baked them up. They turned out just lovely! Try them, I’d love to hear what you think!

Lemon Scented Olive Oil Cookies with Almond Glaze

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

generous pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup good quality olive oil

3/4 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Zest 1 lemon and rub the zest into the granulated sugar, creating a slightly fragrant sugar. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, olive oil and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. If the mixture is stiff (I didn’t have this problem, I thought it might have been too wet) then add a touch more milk.

Drop by tablespoonful onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. When cooled completely, drizzle with almond glaze.

Almond Glaze

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

splash of pure almond extract (about 1/4 teaspoon)

2 Tablespoons of milk, more as needed to create desired thickness

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.