parent-child cookie contest

Alex and I entered Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies into the Puyallup Fair’s Parent and Child Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest sponsored by C&H Sugar.  Except for using the oven, he made the entire recipe.

I took him to the Fair this morning and showed him the ropes of entering the culinary contests.  I tried not to be too much of a nerd, but I did utter “stay cool, stay cool” several times under my breath as we watched the judge sample our cookie.  (I’ll put it in writing once again….I’ll be happy to pay for his therapy when he is older).  There were 28 entries and it looked like we had some good competition.

We took home the 3rd place prize!  Alex received an apron, a nice ribbon and a cash prize of $25.  All that is great, but I do hope my kids are also learning important life lessons:

Be involved.

Try new things.

Have fun.

Eat lots of cookies.

 

chocolate peanut butter pretzel tart

I’ve been bitten by a bug!!  No, I don’t need antibiotic ointment, and no, I don’t need an intervention (just yet).  Buoyed by my first place win of my Mexican Chocolate Biscotti,  I entered the Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Championship at the Puyallup Fair. I decided on a peanut butter cup-like dessert with a trendy pretzel crust.  It was an easy recipe with a ton of chocolate flavor, both of which were part of the grading criteria.  I’m a little worried about my Weight Watcher’s weigh-in, since I’ve made three in the past two days, making sure I had the correct ratio of ingredients (all in the name of science, of course).

In my haste to get out the door to meet the deadline, I forgot to take a “good” picture with my fancy camera.  Here’s a mediocre picture I took on my phone.

Drumroll please…..I placed third!  I won a huge basket of Ghirardelli’s chocolate and a very nice embroidered apron.  No cash prize for third, but I have a giant white ribbon for my trophy case.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Tart

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 5 ounces Ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chips
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• additional peanut butter, heated, for decoration
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine pretzels, melted butter and sugar in a bowl.  Press into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Bake for 20 minutes and let cool.
  Combine peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar.  Spread onto the bottom of the cooled crust.
  Heat whipping cream until just before boiling.  Pour over chocolate chips and let stand 2 minutes.  Whisk together thoroughly.  Pour over peanut butter.
  Quickly drizzle melted peanut butter over ganache and swirl with a toothpick.  Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

 

mexican chocolate biscotti

Here’s my entry into the Dillano’s Biscotti Contest at the Puyallup Fair this year.  After weeks of playing around with a fig soaked in port cookie idea (weeks which included a teary statement of “maybe I shouldn’t enter this year.  Isn’t this supposed to be fun?”), I switched gears and decided to do a chocolate biscotti.  I remembered a delicious cookie my step-mom made with cayenne and black pepper, so in it went.  And I had to add the Bob’s Red Mill shredded unsweetened coconut since I am convinced this lends to its wonderful texture.   For the finishing touch I sprinkled Flavorstorm’s Cinnamon Sugar on top….it sparkled!

Oh, and by the way….the judge loved it!  I won the Blue ribbon for the 2nd year in a row!  Is a biscotti cookbook in my future?   The judge’s comments:  “Wow!  Outstanding work.  Different and tasty.  Real “pop” of flavor with lingering heat.  Thank you!”

I’m pretty sure I let out a little squeal when I saw my cookies in the case.  People may have thought they were in the pig barn. 

Mexican Chocolate Biscotti

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. espresso powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup cinnamon chips (I used King Arthur’s)
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar from Flavorstorm

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with silicone pad or parchment paper.

Combine flour through espresso powder in a small bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture.  Stir in cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, coconut, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Form batter into 2 logs, approximately 3 inches wide x 12 inches long.  Smooth top with an off-set spatula and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes.  Slice on the diagonal and bake an additional 10-12 minutes.

 

potato focaccia

Bakingbites.com is one of the few websites that spurs me into immediate action.  Nordstrom happens to be the other one  I read this recipe Sunday morning, and 15 minutes later the dough was rising.  Our family loves potato pizza , so I thought this would be a nice treat for lunch.  I served it with a homemade vegetable soup (0 PointsPlus) to rave reviews.

I’m on a baking kick, since this Tuesday is the due date for the biscotti entry for the Puyallup Fair.  I am finalizing my recipe…hopefully it will be a winner!  Stay tuned.

Potato Focaccia

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp (.25-oz) active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups water, warm (100-110F)
• 3 – 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• approx 1 lb cooked potatoes, cooled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp herbs de Provence
• 2 tsp coarse kosher salt or sea salt

Combine sugar, yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 1/2 cups flour and salt.  Add liquid and combine.  Using a bread hook, knead for 3-4 minutes, adding up to an additional cup of flour, until a smooth ball forms.  Place dough in a bowl coating with olive oil or non-stick spray, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Line a jelly roll pan (12×18 pan) with parchment or spray with non-stick spray.  Pour dough onto pan and using your fingertips, press and spread dough into a rectangle approximately 10×16.  Brush with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. herbs de Provence.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice cooked potatoes 1/4 inch thick.  Arrange potatoes on top of dough, pressing down lightly.  Brush potatoes with 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with remaining herbs and salt.  Let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.  Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Recipe from bakingbites.com.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

12 servings = 5 PointsPlus each

16 servings = 3 PointsPlus each

 

rhubarb galette with cardamom

I’m so glad it’s biking season!  Since I don’t have cold weather riding gear, I need to wait until the weather warms up to hit the road.  We’ve had two bike rides and it has just reaffirmed how much I love cycling.  It’s great to pedal along the trail, soaking up the Vitamin D and gazing at my favorite spring crop, rhubarb.

My cousin gave me a huge bag full of rhubarb last week, with promises of more to come.  I’ve made 2 batches of stewed rhubarb (recipe soon!) and this delightful galette.  The recipe was featured in Sunset Magazine last month, and the combination of cardamom and rhubarb is delicious.

Marc and I have a long-standing relationship with cardamom.  Back in the early 90′s, when we were first married and Marc was in medical school,  I decided to make homemade mustard for Christmas gifts.  We bought the necessary ingredients, and since I wasn’t the savvy shopper as I am now, did not look at the register as the items were ringing up.  We got home, unpacked the grocery bags, and took out the garbage (with the receipt inside).  We opened the cardamom and found the seal had been broken and half a teaspoon was missing.  Why would someone do that?  We threw it away and went to buy another bottle, only to realize it was the answer.  It was fourteen dollars!  Keep in mind, this was at a time of our lives when Marc occasionally ate cereal with water when we ran out of milk.  His go-to lunch was a sweet potato which he could cook in the microwave in the student lounge. Needless to say, we were dumpster diving for the receipt for that powdered gold.  And that is definitely the royal “We”.

It all ended happily when we returned the soggy receipt and the old bottle and exchanged it for an unopened container.  The homemade mustard turned out great and I learned a great life lesson in watching the prices ring up on the cash register, but apparently the lesson of receipt keeping still hasn’t stuck.

Rhubarb Galette with Cardamom

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided (I used FlavorStorm’s Vanilla Bean Sugar)
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 12 oz. rhubarb stalks (or enough to cover pastry)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Unfold puff pastry sheet onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.  In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, brown sugar, cardamom, and flour.  Evenly sprinkle sugar mixture over pastry.

Trim rhubarb stalks 1 inch shorter than pastry, then split rhubarb lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide pieces.  Lay pieces parallel across pastry square, leaving 1/2 inch border of pastry.  Sprinkle rhubarb with remaining 2 tbsp. sugar.

Bake galette until edges are golden brown and puffed, 12 to 15 minutes.  Serves 6.

Recipe from Sunset Magazine, March 2012.

Using the Weight Watcher’s PointsPlus Calculator, each serving has 7 PointsPlus (based on nutritional information in article).

 

joyful almond macaroons

So full of joy!

Joyful Almond Macaroons

• 1/3 cup crushed pineapple in juice, drained
• 1 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup liquid egg whites (about 5 large eggs)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 30 whole raw almonds
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, cook the pineapple, coconut, sugar, egg whites, flour, and salt over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly for about 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and mixture is sticky.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with a silicone baking mat.

Scoop out 30 tablespoon-size balls of dough onto the baking sheet, placing them 1/2 inch apart.  Press an almond into the top of each.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden-brown.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, microwave chocolate on 50% power until melted, stirring every 15 seconds.  Spoon over cookies.  Allow chocolate to harden before serving.

Recipe from Shape Magazine.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each cookie has 2 PointsPlus.

 

reduced-fat carrot cake

It’s my one year blog anniversary!  I started this blog as a way to easily share delicious homemade recipes with the Weight Watcher PointsPlus values already calculated for my friends in my WW meetings.  Based on the search stats from Google, lots of other people are looking for the same information.  In the past year I’ve written 211 posts, have had 292 comments, and as of writing this post, I’ve had 31,986 views!  A big thank you to my top commenters, my mother-in-law Beth, mom Magen, Tammy, Veronica, and Kristina.  Thanks for all your feedback

To celebrate I immediately thought of baking a cake, of course.  Cook’s Country published this reduced-fat carrot cake in their April/May 2009 magazine.

Reduced-Fat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 (4 oz.) jar carrot baby food
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and shredded

Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz.) package Neuchâtel cream cheese, softened
• 1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow creme (I used Kraft Jet-Puffed)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Lightly spray paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.  In a stand mixer, beat eggs, baby food, and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.  Slowly add oil and mix 1 more minute.  Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture.  Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.  Fold in carrots.

Spread batter into pan and bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 22-24 minutes.  Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack, remove parchment paper and flip cake right-side up to cool completely.

To make frosting, beat together cream cheese, marshmallow creme, and vanilla on medium-high.  Add confectioners’ sugar and beat on low until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.  Frost cooled cake.  Makes 16 servings.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder, each serving has 9 PointsPlus.

 

italian-style goat cheese-stuffed mushrooms

I’ve watched a few episodes of “Hoarders” recently, and as a result, I have cleaned out a few of my cupboards.  Now, I am pretty much the opposite of a hoarder.  In fact, I’ve been known to throw away receipts as soon as I get home, only to realize that I need to return an item and I have to dig through the trash to find it.  This has happened too many times to count.  You’d think I would have learned my lesson after the first time I found the damp, coffee-ground coated receipt in the bottom of the third bag of garbage I had gone through.  Gross, but apparently not gross enough, since I haven’t changed my ways.

I found this cookbook during my cleaning/organizing spree.  Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes.  I’ve paged through it and bookmarked a handful of recipes I want to try.  Since I’ve never made stuffed mushrooms before, this recipe was the first on my list.  My kids couldn’t get enough of them.  And only 1 PointPlus for 2 mushrooms!

Italian-style Goat Cheese-stuffed Mushrooms

• 18 large button mushrooms
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove stems from mushrooms and discard or save for another use.  Brush mushrooms off with a damp paper towel to clean.  Place caps on a large baking sheet, rounded sides up.  Spray with cooking spray, then turn over.

Combine goat cheese, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and basil.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into each mushroom cap; gently press filling into cap.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and filling is lightly browned.  Serve warm.  9 servings (serving size: 2 mushrooms).  PointsPlus value per serving: 1.

Recipe from Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes.

 

hot cross buns

We saw some hot cross buns at a local gourmet grocery store last week.  I’ll call it gourmet due to the fact that even if I check out in the 15 and under lane, the total is always over $100.  The bag of 6 buns was $4.99, which I scoffed at.  I’m willing to shell out money for some things, but it felt like a challenge.  I knew if I made it myself it would most likely be tastier, not to mention, actually “hot” out of the oven.

My husband’s one request was to use a light hand with the icing on the top.  So imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe from bakingbites.com.  It uses a paste of flour and water to make the crosses, instead of more sugar.  And frankly, who needs more sugar around this holiday?  One look at a Peep and my blood sugar spikes.

The house smells delicious from the baked buns.   It was a welcome for my husband when he walked in from work. Since he didn’t mention a thing about the absence of icing,  I quizzed him on what made them special .

Silence.  Mainly due to the fact that his mouth was full, but we’ve been together for 24 years, so I’ve seen him talk with his mouth full plenty of times.

He didn’t even remember making the request.  “Well, the most important thing is that YOU remembered.”

Maybe I’m not the one with the memory problem after all.

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, as the cross is a symbol of the crucifixion.  Happy Easter!

Hot Cross Buns

• 2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup currants or raisins
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cold water

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water.  Let stand 5 minutes (until foamy).  Stir in 2 cups flour, buttermilk, egg, spices, and salt.  Add an additionally cup of flour and the butter and stir until the dough starts to come together.  Add remaining cup of flour and dried fruit.  Knead for 5 minutes.  Turn out on a floured surface and knead several times until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate by pressing gently.  Divide into 16 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and place in a lightly greased 9×9 baking pan.  Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Right before putting the pan in the oven, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup flour and cold water.  Scrape into a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut a small hole in the corner.  Pipe continuous lines vertically and horizontally through the rows to form crosses.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until buns are dark golden brown and an internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.  Cool in pan.  Makes 16 buns.

Recipe barely adapted from Baking Bites.

Using the Weight Watcher Recipe Builder, each bun has 5 PointsPlus.

 

potato and egg breakfast casserole

You know that hash brown casserole that you find at brunch potlucks?  The one with the corn flakes on top?  I have good news and bad news for you.  I calculated a random hash brown casserole from allrecipes.com and came up with a total of 99 PointsPlus for the 9×13 pan, with each serving having 22 grams of fat!  That’s the bad news, for both you and your cholesterol level.  The good news is that I have a lightened up version that will satisfy the “I need something cheesy and potatoey for breakfast” craving.  The whole recipe has 39 PointsPlus, and each serving has less than 3 grams of fat.  Yeah!

The only down-side to this recipe is that it needs to cook for a little over an hour in the oven.  Not the most convenient weekday breakfast.  Lucky for me, we have a new “houseguest” named Wilbur who gets 5 am walks with my daughter and husband.  I assembled the dish the night before and then had Marc put the casserole in the oven before their walk.  The rest of the house woke up to a hot breakfast an hour later

I made mine pretty plain, with just sautéed onions.  Try adding a cup of mushrooms or red peppers (sautéed with a little non-stick spray).  The PointsPlus don’t change!  Or add 3 ounces of turkey bacon, crumbled (will increase the PointsPlus by 1 per serving).

Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole

• 16 ounces frozen hash browns, thawed
• 12 ounces fat-free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup chopped onion, sautéed in non-stick spray until browned and soft
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 ounces low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 8×8 pan with non-stick spray.  Layer hash browns, sautéed onions and cheese (and other vegetables or turkey bacon if using).  In a small mixing bowl, combine evaporated milk, egg whites, and salt.  Pour evenly over ingredients.  Cover and bake for one hour.  Uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until top is slightly browned.  Makes 8 servings.

Recipe adapted from Heart Healthy Recipes.

Using the Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder:

8 servings= 5 PointsPlus

6 servings= 6 PointsPlus

4 servings= 9 PointsPlus.