Pumpkin Oat Cranberry Bars

Pumpkin! Fall! Need I say more with dried cranberries ?! Bonus these bars are vegan too! 


Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients:  
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup puréed pumpkin (roasted)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 tb pumpkin pie spice

2 cups 100% old fashioned oats

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Set aside.

2. Mix together in a large bowl first 6 ingredients and then fold in the cranberries. 

3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread batter evenly into the baking dish. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in the Actifry

  

I just finished roasting half a dozen pie pumpkins in the oven. One of the best parts of making the purée is roasting the nutritious pumpkin seeds. Today I used the actifry! 

Ingredients:
1 cup of dried pumpkin seed

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp olive oil 
Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the actifry and turn on the “frier” for 10 minutes. 

2. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Bacon, Egg & Pepper Tart

 
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! As I always say! This one is quick and so simple. And will satisfy any savory tooth! 

Predirections:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Ingredients:

3 oz of soft reduced fat (1/3)cream cheese

1 tsp pasta sprinkle or Italian seasoning

1 tsp chopper freeze dried chives 

1/2 tsp freeze dried chopped garlic 

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 small green pepper cut into strips

3 eggs

2 slices of bacon (precooked) cut in half lengthwise and then cut into thirds 

1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

2. Place rolled out puff pastry onto parchment paper. Roll up sides slightly and crimp the corners to prevent egg from running. Bake puff pastry for 14 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile in a small bowl mix cream cheese with pasta sprinkle, garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread the cream mixture on the warm puff pastry. 

4. Strategically place the cut pepper randomly on the tart. Crack eggs and place ontop of the cheese in or around the corners. Add another egg if you want one in each corner. 

5. Now place bacon strips around the pepper strips and eggs. 

6. Sprinkle with chives and additional salt and pepper if you wish. 

7.Bake for 7-10 minutes or until egg is opaque. 

Enjoy!
 

Grandma Harper’s No Bakes Cookies

  

I am working on making a cookbook of my grandmother’s recipes. This recipe will definitely be added to one of the cookbook’s pages. 

Yesterday one of my cousins asked me if I had gramdma’s no bake cookie recipe. I looked at the several recipes I had scanned a few months ago and sure enough I had it. This was one of his favorite treats my grandma used to make for us growing up. I almost forgot about this classic cookie thay used to fill  her cookie jar and our hearts and stomachs years ago. 

She always had homemade treats in her cookie jar for the grandkids and for grandpa too! I can honestly say I don’t ever recollect the jar being empty. 

This recipe yields 51 cookies using a 60 scoop
Ingredients :

1/2 cup unsalted butter (grandma used margarine)

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 cups old fashioned mother’s oats

6 tb Dutch Processed Cocoa (grandma used Hershey’s cocoa

1/2 c marshmallow fluff

Directions:

1. Mix together cocoa, butter, sugar, and milk in a 5 or 6 quart sauce pan. Place mixture on high heat and bring to a boil.

2. One sauce is boiling remove from heat and stir in vanilla, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff. Once sauce incorporates fold in the oats. 

3. Scoop the cookies using a size 60 scoop on wax paper. You can place them fairly close together. If you can resist allow the cookies to fully set. The resting period can take up to an hour but this will depend on the temperature in your house.

4. Enjoy!

  

rosemary horseradish ham bites 

 
I love using my grandfathers homemade horseradish in dishes. This one is unique since it calls for rosemary which adds a bit of flare. I love making these on the weekend. I often share them with my neighbors since there are only two of us or they freeze nicely. 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of heart smart bisquick mix
1/2 cup chopped green pepper 

1 c skim milk
1.5 cups of egg substitute or 6 eggs

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

2/3 cup of shredded 2% cheddar cheese

2/3 cup of lean ham or Canadian bacon chopped

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 TB of fresh pureed horseradish

1/2 TB of chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and cooking spray line 12 standard size muffin tins and set aside.

2. In a small bowl mix the horseradish, salt, pepper, and eggs or egg substitute. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl mix biscuit mix, and milk to form sticky dough. Pour out dough onto a lightly floured clean countertop surface and use a rolling pin to evenly spread dough out into about 1/4 inch thick dough. Use a biscuit cutter or a glass about 3.5 inches to form biscuits.

4. Place the cut biscuit into the prepared muffin dish and press evenly up the side and into the tin. Add half the cheese evenly onto the biscuits (about a tsp or so in each). Also add 3-4 slices of the ham onto of the cheese (about half the ham). Add a few pieces of chopped peppers.

5. Divide the egg mixture into the cups evenly about 1/4 cup into each tin. Finish off the cups by adding evenly the remaining ham, pepper, & cheese.

6. Lastly dust with rosemary.

7. Bake the bites for 25 minutes or until the eggs are set. Keep the bites in the tins for 5 minutes on wire rack. Yield: serves 12

breakfast Stromboli

 

Josh loves a savory breakfast meal whether it’s for breakfast or dinner. This is a good twist on a breakfast pizza and now a family favorite!

Ingredients:

1 lb of home made pizza dough or frozen (thawed)
1 cup shredded smoked pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
1/4 lb of breakfast sausage
1 egg
1 oz of skim
1/2-1 tsp poultry seasoning ( i used ruth ann’s from penzey’s)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees and place your pizza stone in the oven while it heats. Let it heat for an hour.
2. In a large pan season the sausage with poultry seasoning and brown the sausage until no pink meat remains on medium heat. Once fully cooked pour meat into dish ( I like to line it with paper towel which removes some of the fat). Lightly cook the peppers and place them on top of the cooked sausage.
3. In small bowl mix the milk and egg lightly season with more poultry seasoning. Pour into medium heat skillet and scramble eggs. Once eggs are fully cooked remove from heat and set aside.
4. Take dough and roll it out into a square on a lightly floured surface. Place the meat down evenly in the center of the dough in forming a rectangle. Top with pepper evenly and also with egg evenly. Lastly add the smoked hot pepper cheese. Fold the dough with corners first and the longer sides second. Place the dough fold side down on the hot stone (I like to put cornmeal down to help prevent sticking). Brush with olive oil. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes (until outside becomes lightly brown).  Yield: serves 4

Snickerdoodle Cookies

 
This past weekend we went to Lake Chautauqua and one of my favorite things about going there is all the quaint antique shops. You never know what you are going to find and what you might stumble across to inspire you to make something delicious! Two items I could not pass up was a pair of antique cookie jars …well my mom would not let me pass up.  
A friend of mine had these snickerdoodles at her wedding and my husband adored them! The bride graciously gave me her mom’s special recipe. 

  

I have been waiting for the perfect moment to make them! Tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity! I had to fill up my “new” antique cookie jar! 
This recipe yields four dozen cookies using a 60 size scoop. 

Pre directions:
Preheat your oven to 400° in parchment paper lined to half sheet pans with parchment paper.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 cup shorten

2 eggs

2 3/4 cup unbleached AP Flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp  pure vanilla extract (I added this)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

Additional topping “dusting”

1 tb sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon 

(Mix above two ingredients together in shallow dish)

Directions:

1. Cream with paddle attachment butter, shorten, and sugar in stand mixer. Mix until light and fluffy. 

2. Add vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture mix to incorporate. 

3. In a seperate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tarter until everything well incorporated.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed batter. Make sure the mixer is on the lowest speed. Steadily increase the speed to medium to fully incorporate the flour blend. 

5. Portion out the cookies evenly by using a size 60 scooper. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon and sugar blend in a shallow dish.

6. . Yielding 12 to a 1/2 sheet pan.

7.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes and remove from oven and from pan immediately. Allow to cool on wire rack and enjoy.

Orange Rhubarb Streusel Bread

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We finally picked our last harvest of rhubarb. Boy it is so beautiful! One of the stalks cut equaled 1.5 cups so it is rather large as well. This year our garden did not do very well; however, our peppers and rhubarb excelled! I am always making new rhubarb recipes. As many of you already know ! I just found out last week that I won 1st place for my rhubarb spiced coffee cake. It will be featured in TOH magazine May/June 2016 edition! I am so excited!

I love making mini loaves of bread! I feel like you can share them with so many more people than just the traditional 8 by 4 loaf or 9 by 5 loaf. My way of spreading the love around.

If you try this recipe you will not be disappointed! My husband said “it is the best breakfast loaf recipe you have ever made”! Wow that is a complement since I make a great many of recipes!

 

This recipe yields 4 mini loaves and one standard 8 by 4 inch loaf

Pre directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cooking spray your mini bread vessels.

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour ( I am in love with Bob’s Red Mill)

2 Cups of AP flour

2 Tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup unsweetened Applesauce

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup egg white subsitute

2 whole large eggs

2/3 cup 100% Orange Juice

1.5 cups of granulated sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 cups of finely chopped rhubarb (6 regular sized stalks but like I said mine one stalk yield 1.5 cups)

 

Streusal topping & filling

8 TB raw sugar

2 TB Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

2 TB melted coconut oil (melted)

1 TB Vietnamese ground cinnamon

 

Streusel Directions:

  1. Mix with spoon all the streusel ingredients in a medium to small bowl.

 

Bread Directions:

  1. In a large bowl mix with whisk both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
  2. In a medium bowl mix canola oil, applesauce, flaxseed, egg, egg substitute, vanilla, sugar, and orange juice. Whisk together to fully incorporate.
  3. Pour the wet ingredient batter into the dry ingredients and whisk together and using a spatula make sure all the dry residue is incorporated. I like to use a clear glass bowl for this so that I can look on the bottom of the dish and see if any dry residue remains.
  4. Fold in chopped rhubarb and make sure rhubarb is incorporated throughout.
  5. If you are using mini loaves take 3/4 cup of the batter and place into the greased pan.
  6. Now take 1.5 tsp of the streusel mixture and spread it evenly on the top of the batter. Then take 1/2 of the bread batter and place on top of the streusel layer. Finish with another 1.5-2 tsp of streusel layer spreading evenly on the top to guarantee cinnamon in each bite. Repeat with all mini loafs. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center of the loaf clean.
  7. For the standard loaf take half of the remaining batter and place in greased 8 by 4 inch bread pan and take half of the remaining streusel topping and place evenly on-top of the bottom layer. Finish with placing the remaining bread batter on top of the streusel crumble. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out of the center clean.
  8. Allow the loaves to sit in the pans for 5 minutes on a wire rack. They do have a tendency to stick. I recommend going around the edges with a plastic knife.  Remove from the pans and allow to cool completely on wire rack (if you can wait). My husband couldn’t!
  9. Enjoy!

 

Dutch Oven Homemade Bread

This time of year is my favorite time to bake in the kitchen. The air is crisp and I often spend most my weekend mornings trying new recipes and baking. As the weather starts to get cooler outside that means I can bake more to heat up the house. I love the smell of fresh homemade bread permeating throughout the house. I do believe Yankee Candle even makes a candle with this fragrance but nothing compares to the actual process of baking.

Fresh homemade bread seems to complete a Sunday dinner at our house. I always remember my mom having an Italian loaf with every Sunday family dinner.  My husband’s mom also always had Italian bread from a local bread bakery with all her supper meals she prepared which makes it all more nostalgic for my husband and I.

I made this Dutch-oven bread the other day with pork tenderloin in the slow cooker. It paired really well with parsley potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water (bath water temp; 80° F–90° F)

1 teaspoon honey

1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast

3 ½-4 cups bread flour

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil for coating

Prework: Preheat oven to 500 degrees with large Dutch-oven in the oven.

Directions:

  1. Place warm water, honey, salt, & yeast in a glass measuring vessel. Let the yeast proof (becomes foamy) for 5 minutes (if the yeast does not grow, throw it out).
  2. In the meantime portion out the flour in a large electric mixer mixing bowl.  Start with the 3.5 cups and add more (1/4 cup at time), continue to add if dough is too sticky. Once the yeast has proofed add the yeast water mixture to the flour and on low speed with dough hook attachment knead the dough until the dough forms a ball. This should only take a few minutes.
  3. Remove dough from hook and knead with hands on a lightly floured surface to form into ball.
  4. Place evenly one tablespoon of olive oil on the outside of the dough. Place dough ball back in the mixing bowl and cover with a clean cloth towel on top of the preheating oven. You may be tempted to use plastic wrap however trust me use a cloth towel this will allow the dough to breath.
  5. Allow to dough to double in size this should take 45 to 60 minutes. Which works out perfectly because you want your Dutch-oven hot. The Dutch oven should be in the oven at 500 degrees for at least an hour. Don’t skip this step. 
  6. Once the dough is ready place on parchment paper and cut a few slits on the top surface of the loaf with sharp knife. This method will allow the steam to escape.
  7. With oven mitts remove the lid from Dutch oven and place bread in center of the baking vessel. Using oven mitts cover with the lid. Decrease the oven temperature 400 degrees and bake the bread for 45 minutes. Do not peek, trust the Dutch oven.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack before slicing into.

 

Apple Pork Tenderloin

  
The seasons are changing and I love that you can get fresh apples just about anywhere with fall around the corner. My favorite are from my grandfather’s orchard! I am a lucky girl, I have about a bushel of his granny smith apples on hand. 

While my husband worked in the garage this morning I threw these ingredients into the 4 qt slow cooker. So when he is done we can enjoy the day! 

I think we will take a run on our favorite trail then head off to the local covered bridge festival. The best part of the day will be we will get spend the day together and come home to a hot meal.

Maybe I’ll make some fresh bread to go with it! 

Ingredients:

2 Granny Smith apples (cored and sliced into wedges)

8 oz of homemade applebutter

Salt and pepper to taste 

1.5 pound pork tenderloin

1 TB dried parsley

4 small garlic gloves minced

1/2 cup orange juice 

2 tsp canola oil 

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan on medium heat heat canola oil. Add pork to pan and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides to achieve some added flavor. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Spread the apples evenly on the bottom of the slowcooker. Pour the orange juice on top of the apples. Place the browned meat on top of the apples. Pour the applebutter on top of the pork. Lastly sprinkle the meat with minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. 

3. Place the slowcooker on low for 8 hours! Enjoy with some parsley potatoes and homemade bread!