Carbs and sugar

Let's face it, sometimes we just need those carbs and sugar to get us through the dreary cold long days of winter.  I usually eat healthy but I must admit, I still have my cravings, especially in the winter. 

 

Today was one of those days.  I was in the mood for chocolate cake.  So I baked a chocolate cake with vanilla icing and while it was baking the whole house smelled good.  That alone can make one feel happy!  So I poured myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed every single sweet chocolately bite.

 

Then for dinner I made Stromboli with marinara sauce.  Carbs and cheese, yum!  I added a side salad for good measure. 

 

 

Do you crave carbs and sugar over the winter?  Maybe it has something to do with light and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). 

 

Well, tomorrow is another day.  Maybe I'll do healthy tomorrow.     



 

Delicious Eggplant Gratin

I picked another eggplant from the garden yesterday, a few more tomatoes, and some fresh basil. This is an eggplant gratin recipe.  We loved it!  

Eggplant Gratin 

2 Tbs. pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 C chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. lemon juice
S&P
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" slices, salted and drained, and patted dry
olive oil
6 plum tomatoes (I used tomatoes from the garden)
2 balls fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced  (I used shredded)

To make pesto, puree in a blender pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, basil, lemon juice and a bit of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Heat ~2 Tbs. olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Brown eggplant slices on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, and drain.

Grease a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.  Arrange half the eggplant in the bottom, top with half of the tomato slices, then spread with half of the pesto and mozzarella slices.  Repeat

Bake 400 degrees 30 to 35 minutes.

SO good!

Bon Appetit!  

Fried eggplant for dinner, and other veggies from the garden

I love being able to go to the garden and pick fresh veggies for dinner.  Last nights menu was fried eggplant, sliced tomatoes with basil and cucumber salad.  

Here is the recipe I used for the fried eggplant:  One large eggplant, 3 eggs, 2 cups bread crumbs, salt and pepper, olive oil.  Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in crumbs, and place in hot oil, S&P.  Fry about 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  

I sliced up some juicy tomatoes and sprinkled with fresh basil.  

And the cucumber salad is simple:  thinly slice cucumbers in a bowl, add salt and pepper, and Rice Vinegar.   

So good, so fresh, and so simple!  

Mom's pumpkin pie

Mmmmm, right out of the oven.....

I've been baking Mom's pumpkin pie recipe as long as I can remember.  In fact, I probably wrote this recipe card when I was first married.  

My mother loved to bake, so this time of year I pull out all of her pies and cakes and cookie recipes.  

I love the aroma that fills the house.  

This pumpkin pie won't last very long, that's for sure!  

Christmas cookies

Did I tell you the elves are helping me bake Christmas cookies?


That's why I'm getting so many different kinds baked, and having so much fun! You should ask them to come to your house.

The cookies in the above photo are Spritz cookies (little butter cookies made with a cookie press). The cookies below are Lemon Bars. My family loves Lemon Bars.

Some of you have asked for the Peanut Blossoms recipe. Here it is~

Peanut Blossoms

1-3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Hershey Kisses

Cream butter and peanut butter, gradually add sugar and brown sugar, cream well. Add the egg and vanilla, beat well. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Shape into balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, then put a Hersheys Kiss on top of each cookie and press down lightly. Return to oven 2 to 5 minutes longer.


You will love these!

Enjoy!

Apple season

Apple season is upon us!

I love apples and I love any kind of apple dessert. I made a yummy apple crisp yesterday and the recipe is so easy, I thought I'd share it with you.

Apple Crisp

8-10 McIntosh apples, pared and sliced (I used Gala, any kind will do)
1 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
cinnamon to taste (I use lots of cinnamon because I love it)

Pare and slice apples in a pie plate. In another bowl mix all other ingredients. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples making sure all apples are covered. Bake 400 degrees for 40 min. Serve warm or cold.

Easy and delish!

Groupon, wine tasting and pub food

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Saturday our daughter and son-in-law invited us to go to a wine tasting with them in Raleigh. They had a groupon for four at the Chatham Hill Winery. If you're not familiar with groupon, which I'm sure you probably are, it's a discounted gift certificate that you use in your local area.

The Chatham Hill Winery is North Carolina's first urban winery, the newest thing, (no vineyard here) and is located in the Morrisville, Cary area in the Research Triangle.

We enjoyed a short wine tour, a tasting of about 8 different wines and some locally made cheeses, and browsed the art gallery. A great place to visit and something fun to do on a weekend.

We then used another groupon for the Trali Irish Pub and Resaurant also in Raleigh. This is a great place for lunch! A traditional Irish Pub with a warm atmosphere.

We enjoyed a smoked salmon platter and their salads, sandwiches, and shepherds pie.

Everything was really good.

We were happy to to spend a wonderful and fun day with our daughter and son-in-law.

Inspired by....Lavender

What's not to love about lavender.....

.....when I saw this lavender cake recipe in one of my English Home magazines, I had to make it. Doesn't it look wonderful in the magazine ~ and I have lavender growing in my garden.

I got busy right away and started mixing. As the cake was baking you could smell the aroma of lavender.

I watched through my oven window.....and, hmmmmm, why isn't the cake rising? What did I do wrong? Was it in the conversion of the recipe?

~

Well ~ this is how my cake turned out. It looks like a flat pastry, not at all like the magazine.

So, want to know what I did wrong?

I used regular flour instead of self-rising flour. Silly me. I was so worried about the conversion, I skimmed right over the flour.

It's still very delicious!

If you would like to try it, here is the recipe. It's a wonderful cake and would probably taste even better if it was made the right way!

Lavender Cake
175g/ 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
175g/ 3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
175g/ 1-1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1 tbsp. fresh lavender florets
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp milk
50g/ 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp water
a few fresh lavender florets for decoration

Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F. Grease a ring tin or a deep 20cm/8in round cake tin. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg gradually, beating between each addition until the mixture is glossy. Fold in the flour, lavender, vanilla and milk. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for an hour. Leave to stand for five minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Mix the icing sugar with the water until smooth. Pour over the cake and decorate.

Enjoy!

Lemons

Yesterday, my neighbor gave me some lemons from her lemon tree. (Yes, she has a lemon tree, a pear tree, and a peach tree in her back yard). I brought the lemons home and thought I'd like to make some kind of lemon cake. I pulled out my old Betty Crocker Cook Book and found a recipe.

A Lemon Loaf Cake.

It's like a pound cake.

I had to have a piece while it was still warm. Oh, so good.

Here is the recipe.

Lemon Loaf Cake

1-3/4 cup Gold Medal Flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening (half butter)

1 tsp. vanilla

5 egg yolks

grated rind of 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp.)

3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with paper a loaf pan, 9x5". Measure flour by dip-level-pour method. Blend dry ingredients in bowl. Add shortening, vanilla, egg yolks, lemon rind and milk. Beat 4 min. med. speed scraping bowl frequently. Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60 to 70 min. Cool 10 min. Remove from pan and punch holes on top surface with fork. Pour Lemon Glaze a little at a time over top.

Lemon Glaze

Blend 1-1/4 cups confectioners sugar with 2 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. lemon rind. (I added a little more lemon juice).

Bon Apetit!

I'm thinking I just might have to plant a lemon tree now.

Cookies

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without baking holiday cookies. And getting together with family to bake cookies is the perfect recipe for a day of fun!

Family gathered at my sister's house early on Saturday morning. Each of us brought our own cookie dough batter so the mixing part of the preparation was done and all we had to do was bake.

Below (photo) my son-in-laws mother, my sister, sister-in-law, and niece.

Before long, yummy trays of cookies were in and out of the oven and the kitchen smelled of sugar and spice and everything nice! Mmmmmm.....so good.

(Below) My niece waits for another tray to come out of the oven.

My nephew joined in and helped with some of the decorating.

We baked all day......ate, drank and merrily enjoyed each other's company all in the spirit of the holiday.

During our lunch break we were surprised and entertained by this beautiful hawk sitting in the tree outside the living room window. My photo is not very good but you can see him on the right side of the photo. He swooped down for some worms then back up on the limb again. He actually hung around for quite some time.

By the end of the day we were all tired and giddy after baking hundreds of cookies. Lots to share with others and give away as presents.

Below are some cute sprinkly cupcakes (ceramic candles) that my sweet sister gave us all to take home.

It was a fun day of making sweet happy holiday memories!