Brown Rice Pudding Tuesday, Apr 30 2013

We had company last night, and I made rice. Lots of rice. Loads of rice! I had a lot of leftovers, and decided to try a brown rice pudding recipe. I googled, and got a few ideas. This morning I made the rice pudding, and while it looks like oatmeal, it’s much yummier!!

The recipe is an adaptation from Versagrain’s.

Brown Rice Pudding

1 1/2 cup brown rice (I used brown basmati)
2 cups milk, divided
2 Tbsp sugar*
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup coconut (optional)
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a medium size pot, combine rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pudding is thick and creamy – approximately 10-15 minutes.

Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, coconut and raisins. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pudding from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Enjoy warm!

* I reduced the sugar a lot compared the original recipe, and still found it too sweet because of the added raisins, sweeten to your taste!

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Squash Bars Friday, Mar 1 2013

I had 1/2 a spaghetti squash leftover the other day, and didn’t know what to do with it. I found this recipe in the cookbook “Simply in Season” and decided to give it a try. It turned out delicious! My husband and boys couldn’t stop eating it. I’ll definitely be repeating this easy and yummy recipe.

Squash Bars

2 cups winter squash or pumpkin (cooked and puréed)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Beat together squash, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and salt. Mix in dry ingredients. Pour into greased 11×17″ pan. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

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Puffed Wheat Cake Monday, Jan 7 2013

I was introduced to this dessert in college (in Saskatchewan). It’s the same type of dessert as rice krispies squares, just that easy, but, in my opinion, so much better! 🙂

When I was engaged, my “SK mom” made me a recipe book. It’s a book I treasure, and use often! One of those recipes is Puffed Wheat Cake.

Another fun little story behind this is regarding the puffed wheat itself. My Mom grew up on a farm, and they used to feed their ducks puffed wheat. So she grew up calling puffed wheat “céréal de canard (duck food)”. I also grew up calling them “céréal de canard”, and didn’t actually know it wasn’t their real name until my teens. 😉  While I call them puffed wheat now, in my heart, it’s still “céréal de canard”. 😉 So, here is the recipe for Duck Food Puffed Wheat Cake!

Puffed Wheat Cake

1/2 cup butter/margarine
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
9 cups puffed wheat
250g marshmallows (8oz, or, 30 large marshmallows)

Place butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and cocoa in large pot. Melt on medium heat until just bubble. Turn off heat, add in marshmallows and stir until melted. Add in puffed wheat, mix. Pour into 9″x12″ casserole dish, press down with buttered spatula (or marshmallow sticks all over your spatula). Let cool, and enjoy!

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Christmas Baking Monday, Dec 3 2012

It’s that time of the year! Time to start your Christmas baking. 🙂  With lots of festivities, and get-togethers, it saves a lot of time and money to make a variety of baking ahead of time and put them in the freezer. This way, when invited somewhere or having people over, it’s quick and easy to make a beautiful platter of Christmas baking in a jiffy!

Another good way of getting a variety of Christmas baking is hosting a baking swap! Invite 4-6 friends, each bring 1-2 items, and swap. Easy way to get a good variety, and a fun night too. 🙂

Here are a few of my favourite Christmas desserts to bake (most pictured in the tray above):

Christmas Thumbprint Cookies

World’s Easiest Christmas Candy

Raspberry Bars

Peppernuts

Lemon Squares

Puppy Chow

Buckeye Candy

Peanut Butter Mocha Checkerboards

Chocolate Mint Things (Shortbread)

Midnight Mint Bars

Nanaimo Bars

Homemade marshmallows

Date Squares

White Cream Fudge

Crispy Peanut Squares

Gingerbread Cookies

Coconut Chocolate Bars

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Secret Recipe Club: Pumpkin Brownies Monday, Nov 26 2012

Here comes another Secret Recipe Club recipe swap! This month, I was assigned Avril’s blog: Baking and Creating with Avril. Since we are moving cross-country this coming Thursday, I needed to find a fairly simple recipe. I knew I found the perfect recipe when I saw this one: Pumpkies (aka Pumpkin Brownies!).

We love pumpkin stuff, especially at this time of the year, I had some to use up in my freezer, and it’s a quick and easy recipe. 🙂  I made it, let it cool, then offered a piece to my 4-yr old. He took one bite and said “I really like this!!!” and proceeded to eat more instead of his lunch. 😉  (I guess it’s my fault for giving him some just before lunch!!)

Thanks for a yummy, quick and easy recipe, Avril! I’ll be making this one again. 🙂

Pumpkin Brownies

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup flour (I used spelt flour)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I used: 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cinnamon)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Beat butter until light and fluffy, add in sugar, egg and pumpkin puree.  Mix all together until well combined then add in flour, spices and salt to your pumpkin mixture.  Mix all together thoroughly. Pour into greased 8″x8″ pan. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.  Cool as much as you wish and serve.

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Zucchini Brownies Wednesday, Aug 15 2012

I had these at my sister’s and they were so good! My sons gobbled them up, as her girls always do too. I came home from that visit and wasted no time in making these! YUM! They’re easy to make, and sure to satisfy any chocolate craving. 🙂

 

 

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup oil or applesauce (I’ve had them both ways and YUM!)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I reduced mine to 1 cup successfully, not as sweet but still yummy)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (I’ve made it with 1 cup white and 1 cup spelt, as well as 100% wheat)
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, optional (I don’t care for nuts in baking like this, so I omitted)

Mix all together, pour in 9×13″ greased pan, and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes! My sister bakes hers in mini muffin tins, perfect size for children, and to freeze for later cravings (if it lasts that long!). 🙂

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Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Wednesday, May 9 2012

We were recently on a trip for 18 days. Towards the end of the trip, I was getting pretty antsy to get back into my kitchen! I think I’m addicted to cooking and baking, is that bad? 🙂  My birthday was right when we returned and I had no time or energy to make a cake. I still craved a homemade sweet though, and really wanted cranberries and chocolate, and these cookies were the result! Yum! I’ll be making these again! I thought there would be some left for potluck on Sunday… but I doubt it. 😉 They are loaded, with yummy-ness!

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

(Makes 3 dozen small cookies)

1 cup butter/margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cup wheat or white flour (I used 1 3/4 cups of spelt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix together dry ingredients, and add in to the butter mixture. Finally, stir in cranberries and chocolate chip. Scoop unto greased cookie sheets, bake 12 minutes at 350F!

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Oatmeal Rye Cake Thursday, Mar 29 2012

When I first came across this recipe, I was not tempted to make it. Oatmeal Rye Cake? Seriously? Who would want to make it? Doesn’t rye flour add a very distinct taste?

So why, do you ask, did I make it after all those hesitations? Because I’m a bit of a sucker for recipes that aren’t normal. 😉  And because I love finding desserts that are somewhat healthy (no white flour). It’s easier to justify eating more of it that way, you know!! 🙂

I am very glad I made it. You would never know it’s from from rye flour! It’s moist, delicious, and even friends loved it and were surprised at the ingredients!

Oatmeal Rye Cake

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp barley flour*
1 1/4 cup rye flour
1 cup rolled oats**
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cup water/milk

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix. Combine dry ingredients. Alternately add dry ingredients and water/milk to creamed mixture (batter will be thin). Pour into greased 9×13″ pan. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

*I’m quite certain this flour could be substituted with any other kind, if you don’t have any barley flour!
**I used quick oatmeal, and the cake was very moist. Almost too moist. Next time I use quick oatmeal instead of the rolled oats called for in this recipe, I will decrease the water/milk to 1 cup.

The Brown Sugar Coconut Frosting recipe is here (pictured above)!

Recipe from Sensible Cooking.

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White Creme Fudge Wednesday, Feb 8 2012

This is not the typical recipe for my blog. Why? Because it requires ingredients that I don’t usually keep on hand! I tend to only do recipes that use basic ingredients, as I’m not one to like running to the grocery store for unique ingredients. Nonetheless, we did enjoy this white creme fudge! (Sorry for the blurry picture…)

Recipe from Company’s Coming Gifts from the Kitchen.

White Creme Fudge

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup half and half cream (or evaporated milk)
1/4 cup hard margarine or butter
1 Tbsp corn syrup
8 white chocolate baking squares (1 oz/28g each) cut up
7oz jar of marshmallow creme
1/4 cup glazed cherries, quartered

Combine sugar, cream, butter and corn syrup in large heavy saucepan. Heat and stir on medium-low until mixture comes to a boil. Boil slowly for about 30 minutes, without stirring, until mixture reaches soft ball stage (234 to 240F, 112-116C) on candy thermometer or until small amount dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens of its own accord when removed. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Stir in cherries. Pour into greased 8×8″ pan.* Chill until firm. Makes about 36 pieces.

* Tip: Line your dish with foil paper (overlapping the sides) before putting your layers in. Then, once cooled, it is easy to lift the entire square of bars out and cuts much easier than trying to cut and lift each little square out of the dish.

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Chocolate Banana “Ice Cream” Wednesday, Feb 1 2012

It’s rather difficult taking good pictures these days! Our days are so short that we eat supper every night in the dark. Since that’s when I usually make something to photograph, I have to resort to using the flash. My recent pictures all frustrate me, but oh well, that’s how it is right now where I live. 🙂

Doesn’t it look good? It’s healthy “ice cream”! We haven’t actually bought any ice cream in over a year, so anything remotely like ice cream brings much excitement for my 3yr old! 🙂

I got the idea from Pinterest, and it worked quite well! Dairy free, sugar free, low calories, and deliciously easy! I didn’t measure it, just added cocoa to taste.

 

Chocolate-Banana “Ice Cream”

Frozen banana(s)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Freeze a banana, then combine with cocoa powder and blend until smooth and creamy. I pulsed mine in the food processor, then finished mixing it by hand. Scooped it into a sugar cone, and we had “ice cream” for dessert!

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