Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies

My toddler LOVES food. It is not uncommon for her to wake up in the morning and her first words be, "I want !". Then she'll start to whine, cry and whimper (while still half asleep) repeating the food she wants.

So cookies were high on her list a couple weeks ago. She must have been influenced by Cookie Monster on TV because I don't buy pre-made cookies and I rarely make them. I had pinned this chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookie and one fine Sunday morning, decided that it was the day she and I were going to give that recipe a try.

Here is the original recipe link: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/08/chocolate-chip-banana-oatmeal-cookies.html

And here is the recipe:

Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.  Place butter and sugars into a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low.  Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.   Mix in banana.  Add flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets spacing about 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies until golden brown and just set, about 12 to 13 minutes.

 

On the original website, the photo of the cookies make it appear as if the cookies turn out quite flat. I know that some recipe indicate that you "drop" the cookie batter onto the sheet and as they cook, they melt a bit and come out flat. With this one I dropped the cookie batter and they melted a little bit, but not that much and the cookies were quite... plump (see photo).

 

I didn't have the 2 cups of chocolate chips that it called for. Instead I used whatever I had leftover in the house which was 3/4 cup of large chocolate chips and 1/2 a cup of white chocolate chips. It was okay. You can taste the bananas in the cookies and the cookies themselves are quite soft. They were largely consumed by my husband with glasses of milk to accompany them. My daughter ate a few but she mainly zoned in on the chocolate chips. I don't normally like cookies but these were pretty good. 7.5 out of 10.

Homemade Crumpets

I like crumpets. They remind me of my mother who use to have them with butter and jam. So when I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I read through it, realized I had all the ingredients and figured I'd give it a shot.

Ingredients:
3 Packages Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Warm Water
3 Teaspoons Sugar
1 Cup Warm Milk
3 Eggs
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
Butter
Makes 25 Crumpets*
1. Mix the Yeast, Warm Water and Sugar in a glass bowl.  Let the yeast "proof" (get foamy) for 5-10 minutes. 

2. Into the Yeast mixture, whisk the Warm Milk, Flour, Eggs and Salt until no longer lumpy.  Cover with a towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

3. Cut 1/2 Tablespoon of butter and melt it on your griddle/frying pan at Medium-High Heat.  Scoop out about 4 Tablespoons of batter and pour it on to your griddle for each crumpet.  You can "eye" it up - pour enough batter to make the size of crumpet you'd like! 

4. Cook the crumpets on one side until they bubble through and appear mostly dry on the tops.  Then, flip them and cook for another 15 seconds

So this is what mine looked like:

Sorry, blurry picture of the batter - very elasticy

crumpets on the griddle.

They were ugly but tasted ok and we didn't need to freeze any because we all ate them within the next few days. I wish I had my homemade butter to go with it.

I tried making some in a circular form I had but it was impossible to pop it out without having some of the batter cake to the sides. I even tried a mason jar lid that someone on the blog had suggested. I gave up on that idea.

While making them, they reminded me of mini-pancakes. The yeast I used had expired back in December but it still foamed. I wonder what the results would have been like if I had used fresh yeast.

Wouldn't mind trying this recipe out again. Maybe with lactose-free milk (or maybe even leftover buttermilk from making real butter) and gluten-free flour.

Pineapple Carrot cupcakes

Attempt #2. I'm still on the hunt for that delicious recipe that my high school home ec. teacher gave out. Here's a recipe I tried tonight for pineapple carrot cupcakes. Figure cupcakes are so much cuter to eat!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/carrot-cupcakes-with-white-chocolate-cream-cheese-icing/detail.aspx

pre-icing. Serious quality control issues!

For some reason, some cupcakes totally rose and some didn't. I skipped the walnuts and white chocolate icing since my sister is allergic to nuts and I didn't have any white chocolate on hand.

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/8 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups. 

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing. 

I used this recipe for the cream cheese icing. Holy moly, did it ever use a lot of cream cheese. (Handy tip: go to the States to buy the cream cheese. Sooooo much cheaper! It was $6.45 for a 3 lb or 48oz brick. Yeah. I know. You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.)

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use. 

final product

I think the cupcakes are ok. Nica keeps sneaking into the kitchen to eat them so he must think they're pretty good. Wait... he just told me he gives them a 9 out of 10. Personally, I think I'm closer to 7.5 or 8. We'll see what the family says at Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Strawberry Cream Cheese

Trader Joe's is such a fun place to try new things. On my last trip, I picked up some Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread (made from RBST-free milk). I'm not sure what was wrong with me that day. I probably bought around 5 different cheeses and I'm lactose intolerant. On top of all that, I always find myself buying sweet cream cheeses (like the strawberry one up above) when really, I'm a savory fan!

Anyway, I was not disappointed. Tried this cream cheese on some toast this morning and I was impressed! It reminded me of the double whipped cream cheese that you can get down in San Francisco. It was light and easy to spread. Plus, if you can see in the picture, there are actual bits of STRAWBERRY in it! Wouldn't buy it every time I go down, but it's a nice treat.
Cost: $2.49

Apple Spice Cake

Living at my parents is... challenging. Not only are they pack rats with non-consumables, but their fridge, freezer and deep freeze are all overflowing with food. (I will admit that me moving my refrigerated goods from my old North Vancouver home to this one didn't help). One of my "resolutions" was to help them eat all the food that hadn't expired yet.

A quick peruse of their "fruit" drawer (none of the drawers were really organized but the majority of the items in this drawer appeared to be fruit) identified that there was an abundance of apples. A quick search on the internet resulted in this Martha Stewart recipe:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-spice-cake?autonomy_kw=apple%20cake

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 cup chopped assorted nuts, such as pecans and walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce
Nonstick cooking spray with flour
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside.
Working over a large sheet of parchment paper, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; gather sifted ingredients into center of sheet; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs; mix on high speed until lemon yellow.
Fold reserved parchment in half lengthwise; with mixer on medium speed, gradually shake in dry ingredients until just incorporated.
Add apples and, if desired, nuts, to batter; mix to combine. Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.
Remove from oven, and cool slightly on a wire rack.
Invert cake onto rack; turn cake right-side up to cool completely on rack, and serve drizzled with caramel sauce

Here's the recipe for the caramel sauce:

1 cup light-brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened to desired consistency.

My first attempt wasn't so great - mom didn't have her bundt pan readily available (it was in the depths of the crawlspace) so I had to use a 9 inch square pan. This resulted in the mix being more concentrated so it didn't rise so well. also, I used four apples instead of three and finally I didn't use any nuts. It took FOREVER for the cake to finish baking (at 325 degrees in a convection oven). Plus I was trying to juggle a crying baby.

The caramel sauce made loads - more than the "one cake" it said it would cover. I used golden sugar which I assumed was the same as "light-brown" sugar. My review? 6 out of 10.

My second attempt was much better after Mom finally found her bundt pan. Instead of 2 cups of regular sugar, I used one cup Splenda and one cup regular sugar. I still used 4 apples which I think was probably too much and I need to cut up the apples a bit more. I still didn't use any nuts. I used the regular "bake" function on the oven instead of the convection option. the result? MUCH better. after 75 minutes of baking, it was done although in my opinion it was too dry. It looked better but tasted ehhh. I would give it a 5 out of 10.

Easy recipe and both cakes were consumed within a day but will probably try another recipe next time.

The cake is still still in the pan because I didn't trust myself to take it out.

Wild Mushroom Orzo

I'm having some friends over this Saturday for lunch and thought I'd review what I was serving. One friend does not eat meat (but does eat seafood) and I saw this great recipe on TV that used wild mushrooms and the mushroom water as the stock and can't remember the steps exactly but found this recipe online:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lukes-Wild-Mushroom-Orzo-350821

Wild Mushroom Orzo
Ingredients
For the mushroom stock:
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 ounce)
1 sprig fresh thyme

For the orzo:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups mixed wild mushrooms (about 4 ounces), washed, dried, and chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
1 1/2 cups orzo

To finish the dish:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Optional:
1 teaspoon white-truffle oil

TO PREPARE THE MUSHROOM STOCK:
1. In a small pot, immerse the dried porcinis in 4 1/2 cups of water. Add the sprig of thyme whole.

2. Bring the mushroom mixture to a boil over high heat, then remove immediately from the stove and set aside for 5 minutes.

TO PREPARE THE ORZO:
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until it takes on a light golden color, about 3 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning.

2. Add the mixed wild mushrooms and stir well to combine. Saute; on medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mushrooms are just starting to color. At this point, but not before, add the salt and pepper (if you do it earlier, before the mushrooms have opened up, the salt will pull out all the moisture). Mix well to combine and continue cooking for another 30 seconds, until the mushrooms have started to reduce and color.

3. Move the pan well away from the heat (so you don't catch fire) and add the vermouth. Stir to combine and then return to the heat for just a few seconds, until the vermouth and mushroom juices form a syrupy mixture in the bottom of the pan.

4. Remove the pan from the heat, add the orzo, and mix well, so the grains are all coated with the pan juices.

5. Remove the thyme sprig from the porcini mixture and discard. Pour the porcinis and liquid over the orzo.

6. Return the pan to medium-high heat and bring up to a low boil, stirring well to combine. Turn the heat down to low, and keep the mixture at a very lazy bubble for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The orzo is done when it's swelled up and become tender, but still has a bit of a bounce between the teeth. There should be just a little bit of syrupy liquid on the bottom, but the orzo mixture should be a bit wet. (If you cook it till the liquid is completely absorbed, you'll have a sticky mess.)

TO FINISH THE DISH:
1. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the butter and mix in well; then add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and continue stirring. Add the parsley and thyme leaves and mix well, until the texture of the dish is softer and richer from the butter and cheese and all the ingredients are well combined. If you're using the truffle oil, add it and mix well so the oil is absorbed.

2. Serve as quickly as possible, topped with a little more of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Update April 11, 2009: Well, Janine couldn't make the lunch (which turned into a dinner because of the birth of my nephew) and since she was the vegetarian, I ended up using chicken stock instead of the mushroom water. in addition, I used arborio rice instead of orzo. Turned out okay although I think I undersalted. I'd probably cook it again but I would only give it a 7.5 out of 10 this time round. I think it could have had more depth with better seasoning.

Couscous with garlic, onions and pepper

For the past week I've been struggling with whether to do a cleanse or not. A woman in the office suggested the 'Wild Rose' one but the last time I tried that, I ended up puking all the pills and tonic up. Maybe it's because my insides are just that dirty, but I figure there have got to be easier ways to clean my pipes. And no, that wasn't suppose to sound dirty

The associated Wild Rose D-Tox diet consists of cutting down significantly on meat, no fermented foods, no dairy, no sugars, no soy products, etc. Today almost being Day 1, I decided to do something with couscous.

Couscous has got to be the easiest thing to make. EVER. I only discovered it last week when I directed Mela to make it for the girls night. Since I couldn't have mushrooms (fungus), I looked in the fridge to see what else I could toss together with couscous. Here's what I whipped up:

1/2 cup couscous
slightly more than 1/2 cup hot boiled water
two slices of red onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
three slices of green peppers (diced)
salt and pepper to taste.

I know, I know. lots of cleanses say NO SALT while cleansing, but that's just Bullshit. I mean, who can eat vegetables without Salt?! Gross.

Anyway, tossed it all except the boiled water into a ziploc container, then added the 1/2 cup of boiled water (then a little more so the vegetables could absorb it a little) and then took it to work. When i was ready for lunch, nuked it for 30 seconds and voila! Mmmmm hmmm. Yummy! I used the Bragg fake soy sauce that I'm "allowed" to use and it was so good. Filling too!

Unfortunately, further research has shown that couscous is actually small granules of pasta so no more of that for me. But it was a nice thought while it lasted. Maybe after I finish my cleanse I'll add it to my regular, healthier diet.

Rating out of 10: 7.5