Susiej

I’ve been relying on the slow cooker to create true comfort during these snow days. Instead of main dishes — I’ve been making desserts. The pudding cake is made right in the slow cooker — which translates into very little mess. The pudding settles on the bottom of the crock, so that when you scoop out the cake, the pudding appears and you drizzle it on top of your plate. Yum.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (homemade!)
• 3/4 cup peanut butter pieces (optional)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter

The method

1. Grease or butter you crock pot before you start — to make clean-up easier.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, the 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and baking powder.
3. Add the milk, oil, peanut butter pieces (if using) and vanilla; stir until batter is smooth. Spread batter evenly in slow cooker.
4. In a clean bowl, combine the 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa.
5. Stir together boiling water and peanut butter; stir into cocoa mixture.
6. Pour evenly over batter in the slow cooker.
7. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean.
8. Uncover and let cool slightly, about 30 minutes.
9. To serve, spoon warm pudding cake into dessert dishes, and serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Filed under: Life, eat by SusieJ - 3 Comments →

I found these cookie crafts around Christmas time, and I tucked the idea away in my head, saving it for a humdrum wintery day, when the excitement and hullabaloo of Christmas had faded. This was the perfect day. The kids came home from school early, and thankfully, we had this little project.

They were very easy, a lot less messier than making paper snowflakes, and the kids were delighted, and happily entertained; for all of about 20 minutes. You cut these into snowflake shapes before baking them. The dough is won-ton wrappers, which are nice and soft, and can easily be cut with kid scissors. Here’s what you do:

Start with one won-ton wrapper,and fold it in half, and then over again to make a square. Then, fold over to make a triangle, and start cutting little divots and triangles — cut only on that folded side. We had to look up some of our favorite designs.

Then, we spritzed our designs with olive oil, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and finally baked at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes.  However, I remember the recipe I read (in a doctor’s office waiting room) said to sprinkle them with sugar — or cinnamon and sugar. Try that — maybe with a bit of butter mixed with the olive oil, because, these, in the words of my teenager, “really tasted awful.” Still, they couldn’t stop eating them!

As a side benefit, I think we can now add these cookies to our snow day good luck charm, as, since we made these, they are now forecasting a winter storm that could start early in the morning. They say, “Lots of snow.”

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Filed under: eat, try this by SusieJ - 4 Comments →

Whether you’re making vegetarian with black or kidney beans, or chili loaded with beef, there are four magical ingredients to creating a deep rich flavor. The way you handle these ingredients is key. Here they are, in order of use.

1. Tomato Paste: Add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste to your skillet as your are browning your onions, (or meat). Let the paste caramelize to develop a rich base flavor for your soup.
2. Toasted Spices:  Toast your spices in a hot skillet. Reserve them to add to the pot with the liquids.
3. Red Wine Vinegar: Just a dash — a couple of teaspoons — enhances the flavor of the tomatoes.
4. Serve it tomorrow: Any soup always taste better after an overnight chill.

You can certainly adapt these magic potions to any chili recipe you have. But, I’ve included here my recipe for vegetarian black bean chili:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dry black beans
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 onions chopped
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 5 cloves of garlic  mined
• 3 14.5 cans vegetable broth
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (can use canned)
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup soup cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salsa (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-soak the beans by covering them with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and reserve the beans.
2. Place the spices in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. If you are using whole spices, grind them to a fine powder.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and tomato paste and saute for until onions are golden. Add garlic and saute for to minutes.
4. Add the broth, tomatoes, vinegar, bay leaves and beans and spices.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours. Beans should be cooked and short.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Stop, cool and refrigerate. OK… just one bowl for now!
8. To serve,  re-heat, put the cheese in the bottom of the bowl, add chili, and top with sour cream, salsa and cilantro.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Filed under: eat by SusieJ - 3 Comments →

The best part about making this chocolate cake is the beginning involves buttering and dusting one 8″ round cake pan with — not flour — but coco powder and confectioners sugar. What a beginning. This is a flour-less cake, decadent with real, rich chocolate.

• Once your pan is ready, melt 4 squares of Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
• Using your mixer cream 1/2 stick of butter, and add two tablespoons of sugar.
• Once the butter and sugar are smooth, add two eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Now, finally, you’re ready for that melted chocolate.

• Pour it in, along with the six ounces of ground almonds and 1 tablespoon of dark rum, 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs and a pinch of salt.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Let cake cool on a wire rack while you make this amazing glaze.

The Chocolate Glaze

• Melt two squares of unsweetened, and two squares semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
• Stir in 1/2 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons of honey.
• Stir constantly and cook over low heat until thick.
• Once cake is cool you are ready to spread this onto your cake.

The cake will disappear so quickly, all you have left is a trail of chocolate dust.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Filed under: eat by SusieJ - 1 Comment →

There’s nothing like a great summer salsa to ward of the winter chill, and drive out the January blues. However, the grocery store tomatoes leave much to be desired. Yet, we can over look that downfall and use fresh lime juice, and pick up the grocery store avocados — they are wonderful, and cheap right now. Plus, they’re full of beneficial oils that help you feel full, and hopefully will put some moisture back into your dry skin. (Oh, yes, I love to dream.)

The secret to good winter salsa is to use lots of fresh lime juice and canned tomatoes — I know — but it’s as close as you can get to just- picked ripe perfection in the dead of winter.  Trust me — you’ll love this.

1. Open your avocado by slicing it in half, and spooning out the seed.
2. While in the shell, dice the avocado in little cubes, and then scoop it out into your bowl.
3. Squeeze with fresh lime juice and  sea salt.
4. Open a can of tomatoes — whole cut tomatoes. Throw on top of your avocado.
5. Chop up a nice fresh red onion, and throw on top of your tomatoes.
6. Add some fresh parsley or cilantro.
7. (Throw in some frozen corn kernels and drained canned black beans, and you’ve got yourself a meal.)
8. Drizzle with more lime juice and sea salt.
9. Enjoy.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Filed under: eat by SusieJ - 3 Comments →

For breakfast, I whipped up a quick brunch on Christmas Eve. Steel Cut Oatmeal was soaked overnight, (here’s how) so that all I had to do was heat it up in the morning. But, the topper was this eggnog french toast — incredibly easy and so, very good. All you do is pour the eggnog over your day-old bread, and then bake it. No egg cracking or mixing! I did let the eggnog soak into the bread overnight — but  you could pour the eggnog over the bread in the morning, and be just fine.

Here’s how:

• 6-8 slices day old bread
• 2 c. dairy eggnog
• 1/4 c. butter
• Maple Syrup, Cinnamon and Nutmeg for sprinkling on top.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Place bread in single layer in buttered shallow dish.
3. Pour eggnog over bread.Let stand, turning bread once, until eggnog is absorbed, about 5 minutes. (Or put in fridge and let it soak in overnight. But don’t pre-heat the oven until the morning.)
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Melt butter in microwave.
6. Flip bread over, and pour melted butter on top.
7. Bake 5-8 minutes on other side, or until golden.

Serve with Maple syrup, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Filed under: Life, eat by SusieJ - 3 Comments →