Zucchini Bread.

A few days ago, my grandma came by with our first batch of zucchini from her garden.  I knew as soon as it wasn't too lethal to turn on the oven that I'd be making zucchini bread!  (P.S. I am loving this hot weather!!!)  My mom has used this recipe for as long as I can remember and the smell of it baking always reminds me of summertime.

Over time I've cut down significantly on the sugar and oil, but I think it's perfect this way - not too moist, it's not too dry, it's perfect with tea or coffee at breakfast.  We always serve it with butter and cream cheese to spread on thick slices :)

Zucchini Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9 or 10" tube pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs and oil.  Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until almost mixed, adding in the zucchini and walnuts at the end and mixing until just combined.

Scrape the batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  It's done with the top has risen and cracked and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

This keeps well in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Today is my brother Andy's birthday!!!  We had a celebration for him over the weekend and he requested carrot cake again this year and I used the gluten free carrot cake recipe from last year, with a few minor changes as well as my go-to cream cheese frosting.  This is one recipe I feel like I have nailed down for good - I prefer this carrot cake over one with wheat flour any day and I urge you to try it this spring.  It would make a perfect dessert for Easter Sunday or any warm-weather occasion popping up on your calendar!

I took the recipe I found last year and decreased the amount of oil and sugar and I can honestly say neither was missed.  I also didn't add any coconut this year, just because I didn't have any on hand, but do feel free to add in 1 cup of it.  This amount of batter does make a bit much for 2 layers of cake, so you can make about 8 extra cupcakes with it, or just cut the recipe in half if you'd prefer.  But I promise you none of it will go to waste.  I love this cake and I hope any celiacs and non-celiacs out there will love it too!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 1/3 cups potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
4 or 5 large carrots, grated

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and grease 2 8" or 9" cake pans as well as a cupcake pan (or line with baking papers.)

In medium bowl, combine the oil, sugars, eggs and water.  In a larger bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, potato starch, baking soda and baking powder, spices, salt and xanthan gum until everything is well mixed.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, adding in the walnuts, raisins and carrots and combine well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 15 (cupcakes) minutes to 45 (cake layers) minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool completely on wire racks before icing.

Go-to Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of kosher salt
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter, cream cheese and salt together in a mixing bowl until very well mixed.  Add the sugar and combine, stir in the vanilla extract, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for a few minutes, until very light and fluffy. 

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies.

Although I know warmer weather is on its way, this time of year still requires a lot of comforting.  Comfort in knowing winter is almost over, comfort in the fact that pretty soon you'll be able to take walks outside without wearing gloves, a scarf, boots and a heavy winter coat. 

These cookies are comfort cookies, for sure.  I don't know where they originated, but the recipe my mom had in her recipe box looks like it was clipped from a newspaper and I find something so charming and lovely about that.  

This recipe is fairly adaptable as far as additions go - I added some toasted, chopped walnuts and raisins.  But you don't have to add either one, or add pecans and dried cherries instead - it's totally up to you.  Just sigh in comfort when you bite into one :)

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
About 1 cup additions - chopped nuts, dried fruit, etc.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing until fluffy after each one is added.  Add the vanilla extract, then the flour and sour cream, alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Stir in the additions.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until very lightly golden on the edges and set in the middle.

Let cool on a wire rack and store airtight for up to 5 days.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

This is the kind of thing you want to smell baking in your kitchen all year long, but especially in the colder months.  It will make your house smell warm and absolutely comforting. What is it about cinnamon that makes us think of comfort and warmth?  I suppose it's because spices are used in so many holiday and cold-weather recipes, but I adore it.  Along with brown sugar and chopped, toasted walnuts, this is the kind of bread that makes cold, rainy fall mornings much easier to deal with, accompanied by a hot cup of coffee.

I've seen the card for this in my mother's dessert recipe box since I was little, but it's a very commonly adapted recipe around the internet, as are all classics.  The one from Bake Or Break is the most similar, so I'm linking to it here.  This recipe is so simple and quick, no excuse not to make it for breakfast tomorrow :)

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9x5'' loaf pan.Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, walnuts and ground cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a larger bowl.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the egg, milk, vanilla and canola oil.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients, making sure not to overmix.  Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Repeat with remaining batter and sugar mixture.  Using a butter knife or spatula, swirl the mixtures together using an up-and-down motion. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely before slicing.  (This bread is also delicious toasted!)

Apple Oatmeal Cookies.

 It's a bit harder than I thought to get back into posting recipes after (my perfect) last week. HOWEVER, the recipes must go on. Everyone who eats these cookies (including my lovely houseguest from last week) falls in love with them and I suppose that should be enough inspiration for me anyway :)

These apple oatmeal cookies are the perfect taste of fall.  I used a combination of raisins and dried cranberries as my dried fruit, but feel free to use anything you'd like as well as any nut you'd like, although I do think the toasted walnuts were perefect.  Use any type apple you have lying around the kitchen, I didn't bother to peel mine and it didn't make a difference.  If anything, it added to the rustic texture.  I think this dough benefits from a bit of refrigeration but they'll still taste great if you bake them straight after making the dough as well.  I added multiple spices here but you can just keep things simple with cinnamon if you'd like.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from a Good Housekeeping recipe
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium apples, cored and diced
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

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

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy and then add the vanilla extract and eggs, beating until well combined.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just absorbed.  Stir in the apples, oatmeal, dried fruit and nuts.

(Optional) Refrigerate the dough for a few hours before dropping by tablespoonful scoops onto the baking sheets and baking in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies and if you refrigerated the dough or not.  Keep an eye on them, they should be golden brown on the outside and just slightly wet in the middle.  These cookies will stay very soft because of the apples so a bit of goldenness is preferred.

Serve with coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and milk before bed and be happy :)

Apple Spice Bread.

 Last week I definitely started baking in fall mode: apples, spices, golden toasty nuts.  Ironically I baked this on one of the warmest days of September (it went up to almost 80 degrees) but it still made my house smell like autumn.  This is a really fast and easy quick bread and it keeps well so if you don't eat it all within a couple of days, it's not a big deal.  My sister's boyfriend had two slices toasted in some butter three days after I made it and I heard no complaints :)

I used toasted walnuts instead of the pecans that the recipe calls for and I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top before baking.  This is a bread you can have some flexibility with as far as the spices go if you'd like - I stuck with the spices listed but I almost always increase the amount of cinnamon because I can't get enough of the stuff.  (If you're looking for more traditional "fall" spices, think cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc.)

Apple Spice Bread
Adapted from Baking Bites
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 apples, shredded on the large holes on a grater
3/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat the oven to 350 degress F. and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients.  Combine the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla until well mixed.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined.  Add the apples and chopped nuts and stir until just mixed together.

Pour into the greased loaf pan and bake for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.  The bread will be done when a long skewer or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then invert onto a rack to finish cooling completely.  

Chocolate Espresso Dried Cherry Biscotti.

I love biscotti. You bake a batch and they can stay around the kitchen for a week or two (since they generally produce a large amount of cookies) and you don't have to worry about them not tasting as fresh as the first day, because if anything, biscotti just get better over time.

I make a different batch of biscotti about once a week and last week I was craving chocolate badly. I didn't want to just do plain chocolate biscotti so I added in a bit of espresso, dried cherries and toasted walnuts. The additions made these biscotti a bit harder to slice after the first baking, but in my opinion it was worth it! The flavor combination is lovely and pretty perfect when dipped into a steaming mug of black coffee in the morning (or even a cold glass of milk before bed). Perfect for the crisp, cold fall and winter mornings ahead!

Chocolate Espresso Dried Cherry Biscotti
Adapted from Good Housekeeping
3 large egg whites
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons strong coffee or espresso (I dissolved a tablespoon of instant espresso in 2 tablespoons of hot water)
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries

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

Combine the egg whites, oil, and coffee or espresso in a small bowl.  Combine all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a larger bowl, whisking to make sure everything is combined.  Add the egg white mixture to the dry ingredients and stir in the nuts and cherries.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and form two logs on the baking sheet, each about 12 inches by 1 inch.  Flatten the dough a bit and place in the oven until the logs are firm, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let them cool AT LEAST 30 minutes, preferably almost completely before slicing. If you try slicing them before then, they will crumble horribly.  After they've cooled, cut each log into 1/2 inch slices and arrange the cookies on the baking sheet.  Bake in the oven again until they've crisped up, about 15-20 minutes longer.

Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

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 :)

Blueberry Coffee Cake.

It occurred to me today that this is the last (not even full) week in April and I'd only posted a couple recipes here so far this month but I have been baking!  Laziness, I guess.  But this blueberry coffee cake is too good not to share.  It's Saturday afternoon, I just wanted to make something springy for Sunday brunch and I had some blueberries in the freezer.  These days especially, I really think the world is making things easier for dieters.  It might take a little more research and a few more clicks on Google, but you can find a low calorie recipe for anything, I promise.  Whether or not they taste good is another story - and this does.  This was so delicious!

I followed the recipe exactly as it appears except I cut it into 16 squares instead of 12, which means the calories went down from 210 per piece to 160.

Even if you aren't dieting, I highly suggest this recipe.  It tastes just as good as any full fat, sour cream, cream cheese, butter-laden coffee cake - but it's so much better for you.

Blueberry Coffee Cake, adapted from Ellie Krieger
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I increased this from 1/2 teaspoon... I love cinnamon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8'' or 9'' square baking pan with cooking spray.

Sift or whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a small bowl until well combined.  In another small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, canola oil and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one is added, and then add in the vanilla.  Next, add in the dry ingredients and the yogurt alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Finally, fold in the blueberries gently.

Spread half the batter into the bottom of the greased pan.  Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar/walnut mixture.  Spread the rest of the batter on top of the nuts and then sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar/walnuts on top.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea :)

Gluten Free Carrot Cake.

Spring has finally arrived! The past 3 or 4 days here in Buffalo have been absolutely beautiful. 70 degrees, sunny, the daffodils are starting to bloom and the trees have little tiny green buds on them. Trudging through winters in Buffalo makes people here appreciate spring even more I think. Easter is a pretty big holiday here - not just because we have a high population of Polish people and Italians, but because it also represents the end of winter and the beginning of spring. (Granted we've had snow on Easter, but not for a few years.)

This year Easter also falls on my brother's birthday. He gave me complete creative baking freedom this year and I was thrilled. I've been working on another baking order for later in April that includes carrot cake cupcakes and I thought - perfect! Carrot cake on Easter. I called him last week to ask him if this was alright with him and the conversation went something like this:

Beth: "So before I actually started planning on this, how does carrot cake sound for your birthday?"
Andy: "Carrot cake? With cream cheese frosting?"
Beth: "Uh, yeah! Is that okay?"
Andy: "YES please that sounds delicious!"

Before I started looking around for gluten free carrot cake recipes, I had no idea so many people were in love with carrot cake. But how can you blame them? Warm spice cake with flecks of carrot, coconut, chunky nuts and sweet raisins. Not to mention the perfect cream cheese frosting to go on top. It's still not my favorite - after all, it's not chocolate - but it certainly is a great cake to make when you'd like people to have an option besides vanilla or chocolate.

Notes on this particular recipe: I doubled these ingredients to make 2 8" layer cakes and added walnuts, coconut and raisins as well as nutmeg and ginger. You could also make 2 9" layers I'm sure, but I was cautious and took some batter out of both pans, afraid it would overflow in the oven and I'm glad I did. So in the end, I made 2 8" layers and 9 standard sized cupcakes from this recipe.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake
1 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 1/3 cups potato starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons water
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups grated carrots (I used about 6, I think it depends on the size of your carrots)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and spray 2 8 or 9" round baking pans with cooking spray.

Combine the oil, sugars and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and spices. Add the dry ingredients and water to the oil mixture and stir until everything is mixed well. Add in the nuts, coconut, raisins and carrots and mix until everything is incorporated into the batter.

Divide the batter into baking pans and bake anywhere from 25 (cupcakes) to 50 (layers) minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cakes are well set on the top. Let cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy and well-combined. Add the salt and vanilla and mix again. Start adding the sugar a cup at a time, letting the cream cheese and butter absorb the sugar before adding more and scraping down the sides of the bowl. (Note: I like to refrigerate cream cheese frosting and use it straight from the fridge, otherwise it's a complete mess.)

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter and spring of 2010 :)

Pear Walnut Bread.

I'm probably jinxing things by saying this, but today was the first day it felt like spring was finally on its way - lovely sunny skies, above 32 degrees F, people were out and about. I love it when everyone starts emerging from their hibernation after winter. Due to this good mood swing, I had the urge to bake something. 4 d'Anjou pears getting soft on the counter... pear bread! Easy and it can be frozen for future use and I don't have to eat it all now.

Last week I found 5 mini loaf pans in the back of my baking pan cupboard and since then I've been baking all loaf bread recipes in mini. So much cuter than a large loaf, don't you think? These also look adorable wrapped in a cellophane bag and tied with shiny ribbon for giving to friends and family.

This recipe comes from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott - a highly recommended book for anyone who loves to bake cakes! The recipes have always been delicious, easy to follow and don't call for anything exotic. You can bake this in any size pan(s) you'd like - tube pan, Bundt pan, or mini loaf pans. I'd bet it would even make muffins rather well.














Cornelia Walker Bailey's Pear Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup butter, softened or 3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 cups peeled and grated ripe but firm pears
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease the pan(s) you're using lightly.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside. In a smaller bowl, take about 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and stir with the chopped walnuts until coated.

In a medium bowl (I used a handheld mixer), combine the butter, eggs, sugar, pears and vanilla until everything is well blended. Scrape this mixture into the dry mixture along with the walnuts and stir just until everything is evenly moistened.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 60 to 70 minutes (my mini loaves took about 20, so make sure you check depending on what size pan you're using), until golden brown and risen on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I sprinkled mine with more chopped walnuts and turbinado sugar before baking - you can sprinkle with powdered sugar after baking or make a simple icing sugar glaze as well. Enjoy :)

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.

Real Rugelach.

I live in an area with a high Jewish population. So where I work, many Jewish people come in looking for rugelach. We have something that LOOKS like rugelach, yes. Maybe it even has some cream cheese in the dough. But dear Pete they do not TASTE like rugelach. Granted I'm not Jewish, I'm not an expert on this subject, but I have always made my own rugelach from scratch. It's no more difficult than making any other cookie and homemade are always sooooo much better. I honestly couldn't believe how gross (weird aftertaste, weird texture) the ones are that are baked (they come in frozen) where I work. (As a side note, I can't believe people actually pay $9.99 a pound for cookies!)

Anyway, if you're looking for real rugelach, make this recipe. I've seen versions like this where the cream cheese and butter are creamed together, and then I've also seen recipes where the dry ingredients are mixed together first and then cold butter and cream cheese are added in, like a biscuit dough. Both give delicious results and taste much better than the kind from a store :)

Rugelach (basic dough recipe taken from Tish Boyle's "The Good Cookie")

Dough:
1 1/3 cups AP flour (the original calls for cake flour, I didn't have any, turned out fine with AP)
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, egg yolk and vanilla and combine. Add the dry ingredients and stir until everything comes together in a nice dough.

Divide the dough into three equal parts and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 6 hours. (Or actually this is what the recipe says to do. I wrapped each and threw them in the freezer for 1 hour because I'm impatient and wanted rugelach TODAY dammit.)

Filling: You can have lots of fun with this!
3/4 cup any jam you have around (I used raspberry, seeds strained out)
1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar, combined in a small bowl
1 cup toasted, finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts and almonds) combined with 1 cup finely chopped dried fruit (I used cranberries)

When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out on a floured surface to about 12 inches in diameter. Spread about 1/3 of the jam on the circle, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar, and about 1/3 of the nut/fruit combination. Press into the jam lightly so it doesn't spill out too much. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the circle into fourths, then each fourth into fourths, so you end up with 16 triangles all together. Take each triangle and roll it up starting at the wider end and tuck the little point underneath the roll, then place that side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with the other pieces of dough.

Bake each sheet for about 20 to 30 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. These are good with just about any beverage and although I have a mug of milk in this picture, my drink of choice was actually YooHoo.

Use What You've Got : Carrot Cupcakes.

It hasn't stopped snowing now for at least 48 hours. And it gets tiring. All the shoveling, winter driving, making sure you have enough gas in your car in case you get stuck in a ditch somewhere.

So generally when I don't have to go anywhere during this time of year I don't. (basically I become a hermit) Actually, it's March now right? Usually this happens around January or February but you never know here in Buffalo. We're going through quite the storm and it will be (TECHNICALLY) spring in two weeks. But to get to the point I don't exactly have the nerves to get in my car and drive to the store to get stuff when I need it when baking. I use what I have.

I really dislike when people on recipe sites (epicurious.com coughcough) make a recipe, then rate it with 5 out of 5 stars when they substitute every ingredient for another ingredient... it's hardly the same recipe anymore! However cooking and baking are about using what you've got ultimately in my opinion. Cooking moreso, but when it comes to add-ins in baking I say why not. Therefore in this carrot cake I used pecans, not walnuts. I used melted butter, not canola oil or some fancy walnut oil (like one recipe I came across called for.) So here is my version of carrot cake. Loosely based on the one from Elinor Klivan's book "Cupcakes."



Cupcake batter:
1 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup canola or corn oil (used melted butter, as mentioned. came out lovely.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 cup finely grated carrots
3/4 cup golden raisins (I'm sure you could add whatever you want here if you're not a raisin fan. I considered dried cranberries and/or apricots for example.)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (pecans IMO)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and line a 12-cup muffin pan with papers.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon onto a piece of wax or parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and thick, about 1 minute on high speed. On low speed mix in the oil or butter, vanilla, orange zest until blended. Mix in the flour, carrots and other add-ins here and blend until just combined.

Fill each cupcake paper with about 1/4 cup batter and bake until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each one comes out clean, about 28 minutes. (I think mine took about 24. Check early, they burn easily.)

Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire rack.

Orange Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
(These would be totally rad with just regular cream cheese frosting also I'm sure. I had to use up some coconut stuff that was in the freezer.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 cups icing sugar
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and combined. Then add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat on medium until well blended. Add the coconut and orange zest.

I liked these to be kind of home-y looking. I originally used a star tip to pipe the frosting on but it reminded me too much of a bakery I used to work at so I got my little icing spatula out and swirled away. Have fun with the garnishes on these. (I considered making these carrot sprinkles from Cupcake Bakeshop but didn't have enough time.) I used a toasted pecan half and toasted coconut that I then whizzed up in the food processor until it was a bit finer. I absolutely love these cupcakes and I hope you do too.