Spaghetti with Eggplant & Tomato Sauce

These last 3 recipes I have all gotten from magazines and I like them because 1) they taste great! 2) ingredients that are fresh and I have on hand 3) different from the recipes I usually make. Plus I want to put these on this site because I know I will lose the magazine clipping and I know I will make these again and again.

1 medium size eggplant, diced (2 cups) I use a Japanese eggplant, more skin less flesh
2 T salt (for soaking eggplant)
3 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or use a couple cans of chopped/diced tomatoes like I did...less work)
2 T tomato paste
12 oz. spaghetti
oil for frying
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (very important ingredient)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Put diced eggplant into a colander over a plate. Sprinkle with 2 T salt; toss. Set aside to drain 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels (I didn't rinse mine and I really liked it with the salty taste). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat until light golden. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and sauce is slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, when water comes to a boil, add pasta and cook as package directs. While pasta cooks, heat 1/2 in. vegetable oil in another large skillet. Add eggplant and fry until golden, about 8 minutes (I found it to be longer because you want a crispy shell on the outside).
Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Stir eggplant into tomato sauce.

When pasta is cooked, reserve 2 T pasta cooking water, then drain. Return pasta to pot. Stir in sauce, reserved water, basil and cheese. Season with salt, pepper if desired.

Stir-Fried Pork in Lettuce Leaves

Have you had the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's? Well these are just as amazing...and something a little different from the same ol', same ol' meals. Rave reviews by everyone, even my picky eater.

1/3 cup stir-fry sauce
1 T dry sherry (I just used a red wine I had sitting around)
1 t. cornstarch
1 lb. ground pork (not sausage)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t. dark sesame oil
Iceberg lettuce leaves (green leaf and romaine work as well)

In small bowl, combine stir-fry sauce, sherry and cornstarch; set aside. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork, onion, and garlic. Stir-fry until pork is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. Add sauce mixture. Cook stirring often until pork is evenly-coated with sauce. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and sesame oil. Place 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in each lettuce leaf; wrap to enclose.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

I got this recipe out of a magazine. Fish tacos was something I just couldn't imagine eating until I finally tried it...and now I'm hooked. These are amazing and so easy!

1 lb. fish 1/2 inch thick (I went with Ahi steaks because it doesn't fall apart as easily)

1 T cooking oil

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. each of salt and pepper

6 6 in. tostada shells or tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

1 t. chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce or packaged cabbage with carrots (coleslaw mix)

1 ripe avocado, cut into thin slices (optional)

1 cup refrigerated salsa

snipped cilantro (optional)

Preheat grill. Place fish fillets on plate and rub each fillet on both sides with the oil. In small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, slat and pepper; rub onto fillets on both sides. For chipotle cream, in another bowl combine sour cream and chipotle pepper, set aside. Grill fish until fish flakes easily, turning fish once. Top tortillas with coleslaw mix, fish and avocado slices. Serve with salsa, chipotle cream, cilantro and lime slices (if desired). Yum, yum!

BLT Pasta

Pretty sure this is a world record for me - two posts in a row so close together, but this is a great summer recipe and a kill two birds with one stone type of deal. Ok, health foodies beware and change this up however you see fit. For those bacon lovers out there like me (and your name starts with an L and ends with an "isa"), I'm pretty sure you won't mind what's going on here.

16 oz rigatoni or penne (really whatever pasta you have on hand, I've even used spaghetti)
12 slices bacon
1 (7 oz.) bag spinach
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (again, whatever tomatoes you have laying around)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings into a small bowl; set aside. Return skillet to medium heat. Add the tomatoes (I throw in a little oregano and basil) and cook for a minute. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Transfer mixture to the pasta and toss. If the pasta seems dry (wait for it...) add up to 1 1/2 tbsp of the drippings. Crumble the bacon over top, season with salt and pepper and toss again. (I keep the bacon separate and put it on as a topping at the table along with the Parmesan cheese).

It's really good and simple and light and the best part are the leftovers. When we have leftovers I add some red sauce to it, toss it in a baking dish, top with mozzarella and have fancy baked ziti. Love a dinner that does double duty. Embrace the bacon and drippings and enjoy!

Baked Mushroom Chicken

Hi girls, hope all of you are doing well. Just found this recipe and it is delish - you must be a mushroom lover, or at least not a hater....

Baked Mushroom Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions (obviously I omitted that one)

Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 in. thickness (Pounding out chicken is a real drag to me and a gross mess so I just cut my chicken breasts in half to about that thickness). Place flour in resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat.

In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear.

Serves 4

** Not to go all "allrecipe.com comments" or anything, but I do add in a little lemon juice and white wine in with the chicken broth just because I like that sort of thing. Anyway, with some mashed taters and a veggie, this is really, really good. Enjoy!

Chicken Balsamic Bow Tie Pasta

I've made this a couple of times and the kids really like it! Of course you can supplement whatever for your family!

1 lb.or more of skinless, boneless chicken
lemon pepper to taste
1 box of box tie pasta
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 bag thawed baby frozen peas
Balsamic dressing
1/2 container grape tomatoes

Coat chicken with lemon pepper, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min (or buy a rotesserie like me! :) Cool chicken and chop in bite size pieces. Cook pasta to al dente. Drain well and refrigerate. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. Mix chicken, artichoke hearts and peas with pasta. Coat pasta mixture to taste with Balsamic dressing. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Just add tomatoes before serving! Sorry no picture! Use your imagination! :)

Cowboy Caviar

A friend of mine made this for a party she had and I had to get the recipe from her because it was so delicious! You serve it as an appetizer (or as we say here in Hawaii a "pu-pu") with chips. My friend even said she puts it on top of lettuce and eats it as a salad too. I think I will try that next!

15 oz. can of shoepeg corn (it was $3 a can here so I used regular corn)

15 oz. can of black eyed peas (they only had them with chile's so I used froze ones)

2/3 cup cilantro

2/3 cup green onions, chopped

1-2 avocados cubed

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt

1 t. cumin

Mix all veggies together except avocados and tomatoes. Mix dressing ingredients together and then toss with veggie mix. Marinate for 2-3 hours before serving. About 1/2 hour before you serve it add the avocados and tomatoes so they don't get soggy.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

This reminds me of Reese's peanut butter cups. You can't go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate. Plus it's super easy to make. This makes 60 bars because the measurements are for a 13x9 pan. I just cut the ingredients in half so we weren't eating this for weeks on end.

2 cups peanut butter, divided
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, divided
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

GREASE 13x9-inch baking pan.

BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. press evenly into pan. Smooth top.

MELT remaining peanut butter and morsels in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spread over crust in pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

Maple Butternut Squash

My mom gave me this recipe when I told her I was having trouble coming up w/ side dish options. It is really good! I tweaked it a bit, so the proportions vary each time I make it.

1 butternut squash

2-3 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

craisins (I like enough so there's craisin in every bite)

chopped walnuts (toasted)

salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400. Peel the outer skin off the butternut squash, and then cut it into 1/2 inch chunks. Put squash on baking pan--jelly roll style w/ the edges. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Add craisins and bake for 5 more minutes. While this is baking, I toast the walnuts in our toaster oven. You can toast them in the oven while the squash is baking though. Remove squash from oven and stir in walnuts. (I usually drizzle just a little bit more maple syrup on it b/c I like the flavor that adds.) I think it's really good reheated the next day too--which is good since this recipe makes a lot.

don't get too excited...

I haven't posted in FOREVER!!! I wish I had something really great to post. I am sure if I stopped and thought about it there would be something...
I have been spinning recipes to my own liking these days but I don't really know that that is considered post worthy...
Anyways, I discovered a web site called www.ourbestbites.com and I have enjoyed looking at their recipes and ideas. I haven't made anything yet but wanted to share my find! :) Happy Easter ladies!
What are the menus looking like for y'all this year?
We are all bringing a side to my sister's house...this year I am bringing my old faithful spinach salad.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

For Ryan (and anyone else who wants to try this :)

You could play around with these ingredients. I probably never use the same ingredients twice.

-1 lb. chicken (you can use frozen or thawed)
-cup or two of frozen corn (I used mixed veggies that night we had it b/c that's what I had on hand)
-1 can of diced green chilies
-1 can of black beans (or one cup dry beans- soaked of course) I think I might have also put white northern beans in there too that night. You could also use kidney beans. The more, the merrier.
-2 tbs cumin, 1 tbs chili powder, 1 onion (or, you can just use a packet of taco seasoning)
-2 cloves garlic
-1 carton of chicken broth (or more if you want to stretch it- the night I made it for us, I used two taco seasoning packets and two cartons of chicken broth)

I just put all of this in the crock pot and let it go either on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. When it's finished, I shred the chicken with two forks.
Use sour cream and cheese for garnish

potato peeling made easy

I thought this would go along with the soup post below. Pretty neat trick that a friend sent to me...the video is a little cheesy but a great tip.

Potato, spinach, sausage soup (from the retreat)

-5lb peeled potatoes cut in small pieces
-enough water to boil (in retrospect, I didn't use enough at the retreat)- cover potatoes and a little more for a little soupier soup than we had
-1 jar of spinach dip (I used frito lay)
-1/2 jar of salsa (I used restaurant style for no chunks:)
-handful of fresh spinach
-1 pkg. kielbasa
-can add milk if you want

Boil potatoes until tender. Add spinach dip, salsa, and kielbasa. Wait until these things are sufficiently mixed and warmed with the soup and then add fresh spinach. I'd let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes so everything's hot. Enjoy.

P.S. I've eaten salad every day since the retreat b/c I bought the salad dressing we had at the retreat. Whoever's idea that was, thanks!

Unfried Chinese Rice

This has recently become a favorite in our home as it's SO easy, healthy and goes well as a side with many Asian flavored main dishes! We have it almost once a week. I found it on Recipezaar.com. Sorry there's no picture for this one!

UNFRIED CHINESE RICE

2 1/2 c uncooked jasmine rice (or you could use brown for an even healthier version)
1/2 c finely diced ham or bacon (I usually leave this out, especially if it's a side dish)
1 1/2c FROZEN peas (yes, leave them frozen ... no need to thaw)
2 eggs, scrambled and chopped
3-4 diced spring/green onions
1/2 - 1 c grated carrots (I added these for color and it's healthier!)
1/4 - 1/3c soy sauce
1/8 tsp ground ginger (I usually grate up fresh ginger)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground pepper

1. Cook rice following directions on package or in your rice cooker.
2. While rice is cooking, place all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. When rice is finished, put hot rice directly on top of other ingredients in the bowl and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Stir well and serve immediately.

** This recipe is a great leftover (and I don't like leftovers!) ... still tastes so fresh the next day!

Chicken Bog

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. This is one of those things I remember having as a kid but hadn't eaten in years. And then one day a lady at my church had us over for dinner, and this is what she served. Mmmm...good! It's really easy too if you buy a rotisserie chicken and pull the chicken meat from that.

1 rotisserie chicken

1 kielbasa (I sometimes use the low fat version)

2 1/2 cups rice (I use brown rice--extra fiber)

5 3/4 cups chicken broth

pepper

Cook the rice in the chicken broth (instead of using water). Follow the directions on the rice package. (I added a 1/4 cup extra chicken broth above the amt of water the rice directions call for because this is supposed to be really moist rice--hence the name "bog".) While the rice is cooking, I slice the kielbasa into circles and then cut those in half (I hope that makes sense). Then brown the kielbasa in a saute pan. After browning the kielbasa and adding it to the finished rice, I pour about a tbs or two of chicken broth into the pan to get the kielbasa drippings to add to the rice. Pull the chicken off the bone and add to the rice mixture. Season with pepper to taste and serve.

Warning: This makes A LOT of food, so be prepared to have leftovers or share. This is a meal I make when I need to take a meal to someone b/c there's plenty for us and to take as well.

Homemade Chocolate Cake with Buttercream frosting

So I've been on a mission to find the best, most moist, made from scratch cakes and this chocolate is absolutely scrumptious! Way better than any box mix out there plus no weird ingredients. And it's super easy to make. All credit goes to Hershey's Kitchens.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

~~I also found a really great homemade icing recipe because I just can't even eat the store bought stuff anymore. It's a white icing so it will go well with any type of cake and it's the first homemade recipe that doesn't just melt right away here in sunny Hawaii.~~

Buttercream Frosting

1 pkg. (16 oz.) confectioners' sugar

1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

4-6 T milk or half-and-half

In large bowl, with mixer on medium-low speed, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, and 3 T milk until smooth and blended. Beat in additional milk as needed for easy spreading consistency. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until light and fluffy (this is key...blend for a few minutes at this speed).

• Please let me know if you have any other homemade cake recipes that are super good. I still haven't found a yellow or white cake that isn't dry and crumbly or dense.

Focaccia Bread

I posted this on my blog and had a couple of people ask for the recipe, so I thought I would post it here.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. sugar
3 T olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1 T active dry yeast
1 cup water (110 degrees...or lukewarm)

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast. Mix in 1 T olive oil and water.


• When the dough has pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.


• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Punch dough down: place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and rosemary.


• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Red Sangria

This is a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe. It was given rave reviews both times I served it. I think it's one of the best sangrias I've had.

In a pitcher, stir together:

1/2 cup brandy

1/4 cup sugar

1 orange, ends cut off, thinly sliced

1 red apple, halved and thinly sliced

Let stand 15 minutes, then add:

1 bottle well-chilled dry red wine (I used a cheap cabernet)

1/2 cup club soda

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Serve over ice.

Delicious!

Tomato Caesar Skillet

This is a super easy chicken recipe that has tons of flavor. You can't go wrong with any recipe containing bacon.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.)

1/4 cup chicken broth

Classic Caesar Dressing

1 t. dried basil

2 T chopped parsley

4 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped (I used a hand full of grape tomatoes...it's what I had on hand)

2 T. crumbled bacon

Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Stir in 1/4 up Caesar dressing, broth, basil and parsley until well blended. Bring to simmer; cook an additional 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and bacon; stir to combine. Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Cha Cha's white chicken chili (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

I leave out the jalapenos and it's just spicy enough :)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Mixed Berry Tartlets

Getting to be with most of you this past weekend was so wonderful (even though we missed Erin and Tab!) and it reminded me about dinnerchatt -I love this website and have been far from faithful to keep it going. Looking at it again today reminded me of how awesome it is and how many new things I can make to try and get myself out of my ever-widening dinner rut.

Here's a recipe from some magazine I get - credit to family circle or bhg most likely. I used Aldi's pre-made rolled out pie crust and Aldi frozen mixed fruit and it was perfect - just in case you felt a little nervous like I did. Also, I was a little intimidated to make the lemon curd stuff so I just used a recipe I had for cream puff filling and added extra lemon juice. Not trying to go "all-recipes comments section" on you guys - now you just have options for the fancy and non-fancy days.

1 15-oz pkg rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crusts (2)
nonstick cooking spray
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 12-oz pkg frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp lemon juice

Tartlet filling
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
fresh mint sprigs (optional)

1. Let pie crust stand according to pkg directions. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly coat twelve 2 1/2 in. muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. For pastry shells, unroll pie crusts on lightly floured surface. Use 3 1/2-4 in. round cutter (I used a big coffee mug) to cut 6 rounds from each crust. (I rolled out the excess and used it too) Press rounds into prepared muffin cups, pleating to fit.

3. For tartlet filling, in medium bowl combine the 2 tbsp sugar and cornstarch; stir in mixed berries and lemon juice. Spoon filling into pastry shells. Bake about 20 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove tartlets from muffin cups; cool completely on wire rack.

4. In medium mixing bowl combine whipping cream, lemon curd, the 1 tsp sugar, and vanilla; beat with wire whisk or with electric mixer on medium speed until cream mixture mounds and is fluffy. Spoon on tarlets. Garnish each with a mint sprig. Makes 12 tartlets.

Ok, if you'd rather do the cream puff way (no pun intended) here are the directions (credit to Mrs. Crocker or Ms. Crocker):

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk mixed with 1/4 cup lemon juice
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half o the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until cool.

Now that I write all that out, it seems like the original recipe is a lot easier, but I was intimidated by finding "purchased lemon curd" - I can be such a wimp sometimes. Just for fun I made a bunch of apple pie tartlets this way (just put a top crust on them) for Thanksgiving and froze them - I'll let you know how they turn out.

Brownies

These are probably the least fattening brownies you will ever have (without fake ingredients or chemicals to make it "low fat")...133 calories per bar and 3 grams of fiber. These aren't gooey like regular brownies but are more cake-y. But the flavor is really yummy. The purees are spinach and carrots (I didn't have any carrots on hand the second time I made these so I used applesauce instead and it still was good). Jessica Seinfeld wrote on this recipe to let them cool all the way to let the spinach taste completely disappear. We couldn't wait that long and we didn't notice the spinach taste.

3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/2 cup spinach puree
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T butter
2 t. vanilla
2 large egg whites (I added a yolk just cause I didn't want to waste it)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray. Melt the chocolate either in double boiler or microwave (on low heat). In large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes (I reduced it to about 20 minutes so they weren't too dry). Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Pink Pancakes

This recipe is from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious and is the first recipe I've made where the puree is a little strong. So picky eaters probably won't like this one. But if you have eaters that are pretty good at trying new things, this is a good one. We thought they were pretty tasty. I always like to try something a little different. The puree in this one is beets.

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup beet puree (I just realized I put in half a cup of puree so maybe that is why the flavor was a bit strong. We thought it was still pretty tasty)

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 cup pancake mix

1/4 cup grated apple

1 T vegetable oil

In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix - the batter will be a little lumpy.

Coat griddle or nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2-3 minutes. Serve warm, with syrup. Yum!

Applesauce Muffins

My friend gave me the cookbook Deceptively Delicious so I thought I would do a little series on the recipes we tried and liked. If you're not familiar with the cookbook it's a book based on sneaking veggies (by making purees) and fruits into recipes to add a few extra vitamins and minerals to your kids foods (Jessica Seinfeld is the creator of the cookbook...Jerry Seinfeld's wife). So if you have really picky eaters they may not enjoy these recipes because they do have different flavors that they may not like. I was looking for recipes of veggies that my kids normally don't eat...butternut squash, zucchini, spinach, beets. And since I'm making Ansley's babyfood, it was easy to use some of that for the purees. So this is the first recipe that we really enjoyed. It was a great breakfast treat!

TOPPING
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 T butter

BATTER
1 1/2 cups flour (I always add flax seed to my recipes so I put 1/2 cup flax seed and 1 cup flour)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or carrot puree (I used butternut squash for this one)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cupcake pan or use paper liners. To make topping, stir together the oats, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in butter. To make the batter, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. In a second bowl, mix applesauce with milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix-the batter is supposed to be lumpy. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Birthday Quiche

Jason made me this quiche for my birthday and it was the best quiche I have ever had. I think the key ingredient is the feta cheese. He got it off the Internet and I don't know what the link is. But here's the recipe:

~ 1/2 cup butter
~ 3 cloves garlic, chopped
~ 1 small onion, chopped (sweet onions are best)
~ 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
~ 1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
~ 1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled (we just used regular feta)
~ 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
~ salt and pepper to taste
~ 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
~ 4 eggs, beaten
~ 1 cup milk
~ salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.