Brownies with Mint Chips.

When I made these yesterday, I didn't even think about the green chips being representative of St. Patrick's Day quite yet... I was thinking more along the lines of spring.  Green grass, green leaves, green flowers, NO MORE SNOW.  I can't wait for the snow to melt here, can you tell?  While it might take some time before it looks like spring here in Buffalo, these brownies helped lift my spirits and everyone who ate them :)  Happy March, everyone!  Warmer weather is on its way.  (Eventually.  Right??)

This is a fantastic recipe from the trustworthy Cooking Light once again.  It originally calls for toffee bits, I used the Guittard mint chips I won back in January and they were perfect.  Feel free to leave either out, or substitute some toasted chopped walnuts, or chocolate chips.  You can't go wrong with more chocolate ;)

Fudgy Brownies with Mint Chips
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mint chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray an 8x8 square baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large microwavable bowl, dissolve the instant espresso powder in the hot water.  Add the butter and chocolate chips and microwave on high for about 1 minute, stirring until the butter and chocolate chips melt together.  Whisk in the sugar, eggs and extract, then add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and stir until everything is well mixed.  Add in the chips, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center does NOT come out clean, but with a few gooey chocolate crumbs attached.  Let cool completely before cutting into small (or large) squares, then store airtight for up to 3 days.

White Whole Wheat Apricot Muffins.

One of the biggest side effects of losing weight for me is that now I will basically click the "x" in Firefox if I see a recipe with more than a stick of butter.  This recipe is one of those that make me realize you don't need a lot of butter to make baked goods taste really amazing.  In fact, these muffins taste buttery!  With only 4 tablespoons of butter!  They don't require any silly "health food" ingredients either - real eggs, butter, sugar and flour. There's definitely a time and place for rich coffee cakes and danishes on the brunch and breakfast table, but if you can get rich-tasting goodies without the calories and fat, why not?

I followed the original recipe as-is, only substituting white whole wheat flour for the whole wheat called for.  I loved the apricots here, but next time I'm going to try a mix of dried fruit - dates, cherries, raisins, cranberries, etc.  Have fun!

White Whole Wheat Apricot Muffins
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (I used fat free)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chopped dried apricots

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, zest, baking soda and salt and set aside.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, extract and egg.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, stirring until almost mixed, then add in the dried apricots and stir just until they're combined.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake until lightly golden on top, 12-15 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack and store at room temperature, up to 3 days.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I won't admit to making these just so I could display them with an adorable new plate and mug my sister and mom gave me for my birthday but I won't admit to having a reason to make them, either :)  (Since it's February now, don't be surprised if every food picture I take has pink and hearts in the photo!) They're delicious little bites of vanilla-scented oatmeal dough and mini chocolate chips and they're even quite light.  I found this recipe from Cooking Light and although the original name is "chocolate-oatmeal hermits," I found they weren't nearly chocolatey enough (using chocolate first in the title to me implies a chocolate dough!) nor hermit-like (hermits have spices!) so I've renamed them to oatmeal chocolate chip cookies instead.

I loved these but next time I would add a teaspoon or so of cinnamon or a mixture of similar spices.  Perhaps then we could change the title to oatmeal chocolate chip hermit cookies? :) Refrigerating the dough isn't 100% necessary but I found the cookies I baked after refrigerating for a few hours were much more plump and tender so I highly recommend it!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugars, oil, extract and egg whites.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Pour the dry ingredients over the egg white mixture and stir until just almost combined, then stir in the chocolate chips until everything is well mixed.

Refrigerate for an hour or up to 2 days, covered.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Form small tablespoon-sized balls of dough and bake one sheet at a time until very light golden around the edges and tops of the cookies, 8-12 minutes.

Once cooled, store airtight for 5 days.

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies.

In need of something chocolatey, gooey and delicious, I found this looking through recipes I've had printed out for a while and they're the perfect after-dinner chocolate fix if you also love the combination of chocolate and tart cherries.  I made the recipe as-is but next time I'd recommend chopping the cherries up so they're more evenly dispersed among the cookies.

 

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2/3 cup dried cherries

3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a larger bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until well combined, then add the vanilla and egg and mix well.  Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then when almost everything is combined, add the cherries and chocolate chips and stir until they're incorporated.

Drop the dough by small tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just set.  Let cool on a wire rack but I do recommend eating at least one while still warm and gooey :)

Irish Oatmeal Bread.

How do we end up with the things we end up with?  I don't remember how I ended up with a container of steel-cut oatmeal, but I've been trying to use it up now for about a year and finally did so with this hearty, substantial, full-of-texture bread.  I was worried the oats would be too crunchy, that there wasn't enough liquid in the dough for them to cook - you can definitely tell there's something in the bread, but they soften just enough to have a lovely, almost nutty, crunch.  If you're a steel-cut oatmeal fan, (or if you like multi-grain bread in general since the oats reminded me of millet or sunflower seeds) I highly recommend making this since the oats don't dissolve into the bread as rolled oats or quick-cooking oatmeal would do.

I've actually had this recipe printed out since March and finally had the chance to make it to go along with a warm and comforting beef stew for dinner last night, but toasted and spread with jam the next morning for breakfast made quite a treat as well :) I halved it since I only had 1 cup of oats left, and in general I don't see the need to make two loaves of bread but I imagine it freezes nicely.

Irish Oatmeal Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light
Just over 1 cup of boiling water
1 cup steel-cut oats
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Pinch of granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.)
About 4 cups of flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, white whole wheat - I used all-purpose but feel free to use whatever you'd like)
1 large egg, beaten with a bit of water

Combine the boiling water, steel-cut oats, salt, butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and set aside for about 25 minutes to a half an hour, until cooled.

In a small bowl stir together the pinch of granulated sugar, yeast and 1/4 cup warm water and let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy and then add to the cooled oatmeal mixture.

Add in 2 cups of flour and beat for about 5 minutes, adding another additional cup.  Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and start kneading on a floured surface, adding about a tablespoon at a time to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.  Knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it's springy and elastic.

Place the dough in a larger greased bowl and cover with plastic.  Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about an hour.  (Or longer if it's freezing in your house, I let mine proof on the counter for almost 2 hours.)

Take the risen dough out of the bowl and press or roll it out into a longer rectangle, about 8" by 14." Roll up the rectangle tightly, making sure not to get too many air bubbles and place the roll in a greased 9x5'' loaf pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. while waiting for the bread to rise.  After it's risen and ready to go into the oven, brush the top and sides of the bread with the egg beaten with water to give it a beautiful and shiny finish.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown on top and hollow-sounding when tapped.  Let cool completely before slicing.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

Finally getting off my lazy blogging butt and posting the recipe for these since I have no excuse not to - the pictures have been uploaded for 3 weeks. 

These cranberry chocolate chip biscotti are a lovely cookie to have hanging around the house, especially around the holidays as anything cranberry is festive in my opinion.  Feel free to add or subtract additions to this recipe - add some walnuts, almonds, pecans, take out the chocolate chips, add other extracts or spices (I had to resist the strong urge to add cinnamon), you get the idea.  This is a great basic biscotti recipe!

  
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Adapted from Cooking Light
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  In a larger bowl, combine the vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips. 

Divide the dough in half and form each half into a log 8 inches long and an inch high on the parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the logs are firm and slightly golden and cracked on top.  Let the logs cool almost completely, or at least 45 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board and slice the logs into 1/4-1/2-inch slices.  Lay the slices back on the baking sheets and bake for another 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through until the cookies are a shade darker.

Let cool completely and store airtight. 

Pumpkin Coffee Cake.

I have to admit, I went a bit pumpkin crazy last week.  I saw a 3-pack of pumpkin at the warehouse store and I grabbed it.  I now have 4 30-ounce cans and 2 15-ounce cans sitting in my cupboard - even after making this coffee cake.  I'm not admitting that I won't be able to use it all yet :)

This is a great, spicy, warming coffee cake during these colder months and it just so happens to be light as well.  I was pretty appalled by the calorie counts in most pumpkin coffee cake recipes out there on the 'net (pumpkin recipes in general - 1 cup of oil in a 9x5'' quick bread, seriously?!), so of course I checked to see what Cooking Light had to offer and they didn't let me down.  I didn't make any changes to this recipe except increase the spices and I never keep buttermilk in the house so I used skim milk plus a teaspoon or so of lemon juice to substitute for it.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup quick-cooking or rolled oats
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and melt the 1 teaspoon butter in the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.  Combine the oats, brown sugar and pecans in a small bowl and sprinkle on the bottom of the cake pan.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together.  In a larger bowl, cream the 3 tablespoons butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the egg and beat well.  Add the flour, pumpkin and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Scrape the batter over the toppings in the cake pan and smooth the top.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes.  The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is domed and just slightly golden around the edges.

Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate and serve with coffee or tea :)

Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies (Biscotti dello Canella-Zenzero).

The first night we had a fire in the fire place, the first time we babysat my new baby nephew, I made these little spice cookies - and they were perfect.   With cups of tea, coffee, milk, or just plain, they're the cutest treat for the colder months.

Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies (Biscotti dello Canella-Zenzero)
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons skim milk
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the milk, molasses and vanilla extract and beat well.  Stir in the dry ingredients until incorporated.

Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Refrigerate for at least a half an hour, or until firm enough to form into balls.  When cold, unwrap the dough and using a teaspoon, form little balls and drop them into the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and roll them around to coat.  Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, then flatten the tops slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.  Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how small or large your cookies are.

When cool, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Chocolate Biscotti.

Ahh, it's Friday.  Normally this means nothing to me as I don't work a regular 9 to 5, Monday through Friday job.  But I had a big cupcake order today for a wedding and it's done.  Over with.  Not only did these cupcakes have to be vegan, the bride also wanted some gluten free and she turned out to be a complete nightmare to work with.  More on this story another time.  For now, I'm done.

And I have my favorite chocolate biscotti recipe to share.  It might seem like all I eat are biscotti but they keep forever and they always make a ton of cookies, so they are the baked good I probably make the most.  These are actually very low calorie which is why I tried out the recipe in the first place back in the summertime.  Sometimes I'm all about additions - dried fruit, toasted nuts, extracts.  But this recipe is just straightforward chocolate biscotti.  I add in the mini chocolate chips as called for in the original recipe but feel free to leave them out if you want or if you just don't have them on hand.  And it goes without saying you can ADD anything you wish as well, have fun :)

Chocolate Biscotti
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl combine the vanilla, eggs, and egg white.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just mixed together, then add in the chocolate chips.

Divide the dough in half.  This is a very sticky dough so I like to wet my hands to make it easier to shape.  Make the halves into 12-inch long logs by 1/2-inch tall.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the logs are firm.  Let cool for at least an hour before slicing into 1/2-inch slices.  Arrange the slices back on the baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.  The cookies will crisp up as they cool.  Store in an airtight container and enjoy with coffee, tea, milk or chocolate milk :)

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

I'm starting to notice fall recipes include many of the same ingredients: apples, pumpkin, spices, oatmeal, etc.  I don't really get sick of the repeat ingredients as long as the final products are different from one another.  This isn't a typical apple cake with tons of oil or butter or nuts - it's very light yet still extremely comforting. 

This is an extremely quick and tasty coffee cake - I think it literally took 5 minutes to put together.  As with most recipes including cinnamon, I increased the amounts of it from the original recipe.  I cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup , used skim milk in place of the 1% called for, and the cake was still incredibly moist and delicious.  I think you can use whatever apple you have lying around, I used a Gala and it was perfect.  If you're looking for a simple and easy cake to throw an apple or two into, I highly recommend this one.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 large apple, peeled and coarsely chopped

Streusel:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Start by making the streusel: in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add in the pieces of butter and create coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, butter, vanilla extract and the beaten egg until well combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until there are a few lumps left.  Add the chopped apple and stir until just mixed to combine.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and then sprinkle the streusel on top.

Bake the coffee cake for 30 minutes, checking for doneness after about 20 minutes.  A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean when the cake is done.

Serve warm or let cool completely, cover, and store for up to 3 days.

Honey White Wheat Knot Rolls.

September means beginning of major soup weather.  You can (and I do) make soups all year 'round but when you make soups in September through April, no one makes faces or thinks you're crazy.  To go along with steaming bowls of delicious chicken-vegetable gumbo, I made these lovely rolls.  They made a perfect accompaniment to the soup, but the leftover rolls were amazing toasted, spread with butter and jam for breakfast or just re-warmed for a few seconds in the microwave to make them taste freshly baked again.

I used this recipe but used white whole wheat flour instead of regular whole wheat.  The dough was incredibly sticky even after rising so the cloverleaf shape was a no-go, I just did knots instead (and was reminded of my days in culinary school when we had to do 4 dozen knot rolls every day...) Anyway, if you want to do the cloverleaf shape, after forming the dough into 12 pieces, you cut the 12 pieces into 3 each and roll them into little balls, then place into the muffin cups, let rise and bake.  They are adorable, but the knots are much faster and taste just as good.  Had the dough been less sticky, I might have attempted the cloverleafs!

Honey White Wheat Knot Rolls
Adapted from Cooking Light
2 1/4 teaspoons or one package dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F.)
2 cups bread flour, divided
1 cup white wheat flour (or whole wheat)
3 tablespoons honey
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg

Combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl, let stand for a few minutes until foamy.

Add 1 1/2 cups bread flour and the white whole wheat flour along with the honey, melted butter and salt.  Stir until a loose dough forms, then turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough, adding the other 1/2 cup bread flour, until it's springy and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (I weighed the dough first, then divided the total weight by 12.  Each piece was about 2 ounces.)  Roll each piece into a 5-6 inch rope, then make a knot and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or into greased muffin cups.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water and brush over the risen rolls.  Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  Serve warm.

I'm back...

I don't really care how long the gap has been or how many people actually read this blog, but I realized a few weeks ago, I like doing it.  I really like writing about the food I make and eat with my friends and family and I love sharing recipes and photos to go along with them.

So even if no one reads this, I'm going to try and keep it updated anyway.  Because a few nights ago I was going through all the recipes I've posted thus far and realized what a good resource this is.  The recipes I posted two years ago are the recipes I still want to make now, especially after losing 85 lbs.  I think dieting put a real damper on recording recipes here because I only ate desserts every once in a while.  I felt guilty for posting a high-calorie, high fat recipe when I was dieting because that's not what I ate every day.  Now I eat a cookie or baked good (almost) every day, and I bake 3-5 times a week rather than 1.  Granted the cookies are smaller and the cakes might include more whole wheat flour and less butter now, but they still taste delicious and deserve to be shared.

Anyway, this summer was absolutely fantastic. But the end of August and the beginning of September were a bit rough - two baby showers in the span of one week for my sister-in-law, I got pretty sick right after that and couldn't sleep for days let alone eat normal food.  But things are back to normal now.  It's fall, it's not too hot to turn on the oven, and I have plenty of new recipes to share. Or just record for my own future use :)

Starting where I left off, this is part of what I made for brunch back on Mother's Day 2010.  These were absolutely delicious and I highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a lightened-up sticky bun.  I have one of Cooking Light's cinnamon roll recipes bookmarked the next time I feel like making a morning sweet roll like this, but if you're into the sticky bun, try these.  I added a bit more salt to the dough (undersalted yeast doughs should be addressed in every baking book... salt is soooo important for the flavor in yeast doughs) and switched out the figs for dates because my mom and I adore dates.  Feel free to use any dried fruit/nut combination you'd like - dried cherries are probably my favorite dried fruit at the moment so I'm imagining those with some pecans, dried blueberries with hazelnuts, dried apricots with sliced almonds, etc. The possibilities are endless :)

Date-Walnut Sticky Buns
Adapted from Cooking Light

Dough:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) yeast (I use active dry)
2/3 cup warm water (100 degrees)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7.9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing on rolled dough

Sticky topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup finely chopped, pitted dates
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the dough, dissolve the granulated sugar and yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the melted butter.

Combine 6.75 ounces of the flour (about 1 1/2 cups), salt and nutmeg in a bowl, stirring with a whisk while adding the yeast mixture and forming a sticky dough.  Knead dough either by hand or in a mixer until elastic, about 5 minutes and add the rest of the flour about a tablespoon at a time.  Place the dough in an oil or cooking spray-coated bowl, turning so the entire ball of dough is lightly coated and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.  (I always use my oven for this, it has a bread proofing setting but even if you put it in a turned off oven, it's probably still warmer and more draft-free than a countertop.)

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, syrup, and milk in a small saucepan and bring this mixture to a boil.  Remove the pan from heat and add in the dates.  Sprinkle the nuts evenly on the bottom of a cooking spray-coated 9x13 inch baking pan.  Spread the date mixture over the nuts as evenly as you possibly can, I used a small offset spatula for this and it helped. It might not seem like there's enough to go around, but I promise there is.

Combine the other 1/4 cup of brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Punch down your dough (I should talk about this term some time... you never want to PUNCH the dough down, more like fold it over itself so most of the air bubbles go out of it) and let it chill out for 5 minutes to rest.  Roll the dough out to a 12x10 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface and brush with the 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Sprinkle the dough with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and roll up tightly starting with the long end.  Cut the dough into about 1-inch slices, creating 12 rolls.  Place the rolls cut-side up in the baking pan and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until the rolls touch each other and have doubled in size, about 15-20 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool the buns on a wire rack for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter and eating, still warm from the oven :)

Sick of Winter.

I think one of the toughest parts about dieting during the winter is the lack of comfort foods I can have. Comfort foods are notoriously and infamously rich, buttery, creamy, cheesy, chocolatey, the list goes on - not food you can eat a lot of (or frankly, any) while dieting. I couldn't tell you the last time I even had a mug of nice, steamy hot cocoa. (Clocking in at around 200 calories per mug, I refuse to drink skim milk :D)

I guess you could say my mid to late February is a lot like most people's January - since January is my birthday month, I still have something nice to look forward to after the holidays. This year, my best friend and his family came to visit me the first week of February and we had a blast. They've been gone for just over a week now. I miss everyone, my house is so quiet, and looking out my window at the snow falling, the icy roads, I want to eat an entire casserole dish of macaroni and cheese and a chocolate fudge cake.














Instead, I bring you a fairly lo-cal granola from Cooking Light. Cooking Light is an amazing resource for dieters (or those who are just smartly watching what they eat) because they lighten recipes but they still keep the flavors of the original dish and in some cases, add even more flavor than before. I had a hankering for some granola last night and looked around at many different recipes and was surprised at how NOT lo-calorie it is. This version is possibly one of the best granola recipes I've had and you'd never know it doesn't have all the calories of other versions. I know granola doesn't seem very comforting, but after I made this, I sat down with a bowlful of it and a dollop of yogurt and it made me feel better. Besides, I tend to consider anything you can eat in a bowl comfort food. Just a couple more months of everything being covered in white and ice (I hope), things will be green and lush soon. Just a few more months.

This is a modified version; the original also called for 1/3 cup of groud flaxseeds and 1/3 cup dried cranberries. I didn't want to limit myself to just cranberries, so feel to add any dried fruit you want after the baking process or when serving! I should note that I used mango-flavored orange juice as well and I love the way it smelled while baking, but you can't taste it in the final granola.

Power Granola from Cooking Light
Serves 9 (serving size = 1/2 cup)
2 cups oats (I used quick-cooking, I suppose rolled would be better, but mine was delicious anyway)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mix the oats, nuts, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine the orange juice, honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium until the brown sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the oats and stir well to combine. Spread the mixture thinly on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the granola and bake for another 10-15 minutes (although mine took much longer, I wanted it crispy so I let it bake for another half hour or so). Let cool completely, add any dried fruit you'd like and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

(Calories per 1/2 cup serving with dried fruit: approximately 196)

I must admit, I have not been baking as much as I used to. I used to bake every single day, and now I bake about two or three times per week. Not out of laziness or because I don't want to, but because I have lost about 20lbs. since December and I plan on continuing the weight loss! I am dieting but I still eat something sweet or chocolatey every single day. If I deprived myself of sweets and chocolate, I don't think I'd be able to lose weight successfully because I'd constantly be craving things.

This won't become a diet blog. Because I wouldn't read a diet blog. It might be a food blog that also includes photos and stories from my life. So much has changed since I last posted here, it's been just less than a year! I'm almost a completely different person and so much happier now. Hopefully some people out there are still interested in reading about it :)

To kick things off, my mom showed me this oatmeal cookie recipe from Cooking Light recently - only 78 calories per cookie! I left the walnuts out, thinking my sister would eat them but I was wrong, so on the second batch, I studded each cookie with a walnut piece before baking. Feel free to add or subtract anything you'd like.

Oatmeal Cookies with A-Peel (their title, not mine)
Makes about 4 dozen cookies. A lot of dough. I refrigerated mine in plastic wrap and I bake in dozens when I feel like it :)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
(I added 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Because I like my oatmeal cookies with cinnamon.)
3 cups oats (I used quick-cooking, they call for regular, it doesn't matter)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine cranberries or raisins in a small bowl and cover with the orange juice, set aside for about 10 minutes.

Beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the corn syrup and egg and beat well. Add in the orange juice mixture.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt (and cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Add the oats, walnuts and orange zest. Add to sugar mixture and stir well.

Using about a tablespoon for each cookie, form small balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. I like my oatmeal cookies (and all cookies, really) chewy, but if you like crispier cookies, bake until the entire cookie is golden brown.