what do you want to eat?

banana-pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips

This recipe is a variation of one that I ran a few months ago: Susan's Yip Yap Organic Snaps. I wanted to add some pumpkin to the mix since it's the pumpkin season and thought I'd try and slim these down a bit in the process.

They turned out yummier than the original....more moist and a little less cakey. I also made them smaller than the original recipe, which made for a crispier on the outside cookie.

Toddler Note: Dylan had fun helping me make these...especially when we got to add the chocolate chips (which he added to his mouth instead of to the bowl).

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Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes a bunch of cookies...maybe 3-4 dozen (I really should have counted)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups mashed very, very ripe organic bananas
1 can of pumpkin
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (a little less if freshly ground, which I highly recommend)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 or 2 big handfuls of chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350F. Using an electric mixer (I use a hand-held mixer), cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until well combined. Beat in the vanilla.

Combine the baking soda and mashed bananas in a small bowl and let sit for 2 minutes to froth a bit. The baking soda reacts with the acid in the bananas to give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the bananas and pumpkin into the butter mixture, then add the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and mix on low speed just until combined. The batter will be more like a thick cake batter than traditional cookie dough.

Stir in the raisins, chocolate chips, and/or nuts. Drop the cookies by the teaspoon or tablepsoon-ful onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. If the batter gets too gooey to handle, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen up. Bake cookies until nicely browned, about 14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container or freeze. Unfortunately, once they are stored they soften up and you use the crisp outer edge. They are still good though.

white bean, sausage, mushroom rotini bake

I found some delicious garden vegetable sausage at Trader Joe's last time I went, and knew it would pair nicely with white beans.  I wanted to do a white bean and sausage meal quickly, and most of the recipes I found used dried beans...which take too long.  So, I came up with my own version and it worked really well.  Plus, the next day I added chicken broth and had a lovely soup with the leftovers.

It's a loose bake.  I may want to think about ways to bind it together more like a casserole.  I like the texture the bread crumbs on top add.

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Toddler Note:  Dylan wasn't too interested at first.  I think the mixed up foods are just not his thing.  When I showed him the white beans and the mushrooms, he started picking those out.  The next day, he was not interested in the leftovers.  I think I may need to pick out the beans separately from everything else for him.

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White Bean, Sausage and Mushroom Rotini Bake

1/2 pound rotini pasta

2 sausage links, sliced ( I used the fresh Garden Vegetable, Mushroom, and Asiago Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe's)

1 small onion, finely chopped

10-15 baby carrots, sliced into smaller pieces

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

about 6 baby bella mushrooms, mushrooms

2 cans white beans (cannelini), drained and rinsed

a handful or two of chopped greens (the first time I made this I used spinach, the second time kale)

salt and pepper

about 1/8 cup parmesan

For topping:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

a couple of tablespoons of parmesan

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

olive oil

Preheat oven to 400º. 

First, put a large pot of water of high heat to start it boiling.  Put a lid on to help it get there faster.  Once the water boils, add salt and the rotini pasta and cook according to the package directions.

In a cast iron (or whatever type of oven proof skillet you have) add a little olive oil and then add the sausage.  Brown the sausage, then remove from the pan.  Add about a tablespoon of oil and drop in the chopped onion, carrots, garlic, and thyme.  Saute the veggies until the onion starts to soften, about 5-6 minutes, then add the mushrooms.  After the mushrooms soften,push the veggies aside and add the white beans.  Spread the beans out so they cover the bottom of your pan.  Let them sit for a couple of minutes to get some browning on the one side.  

Then gently mix the veggies  and beans together. Sprinkle on the greens and when the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the bean mixture.  Gently stir it all together.  Add the grated parmesan and mix again.  

For the topping, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesean, thyme and enough olive oil to moisten.  Sprinkle over the top.  Pop the skillet in the oven until the topping is browned.

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

I recently discovered my neighborhood discount grocery store–Aldi.  They have more generic brands and off brands and a little less inventory than a traditional grocery store...but you can save a lot of money shopping there. Especially on produce.  Anyway, on one of my Aldi trips, I picked up a rack of pork ribs that were discounted because they either needed to be cooked or frozen within two days.  I went for the cooking.

I was long overdue to use my slow cooker, so I looked around for some recipes.  I found one in my Everyday Food magazine and one online that I kind of combined and added my own stuff too.  The only problem was that the cooking liquid the recipes call for don't turn into much of a glaze.  So, I made my own sauce for the big finish.  They were mighty tasty.  I hope I'm remembering what I did well enough (I really need to write things down as I go so I don't have to "rack" my brain so much).  

I served the ribs with maple-mashed butternut squash (they were 69¢ each at Aldi) and green beans. For the maple-mashed squash:  Boil the squash until tender (put water almost to the top and cover), drain and add maple syrup and butter. Mash together and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  I think these may be better roasted next time.

For the green beans:  Boil the green beans until they get to your desired tenderness.  Drain and put back in the saucepan.  Add a knob of butter, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle in some bits of cooked bacon.  

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Toddler Note:  Dylan wasn't interested in any of it.  Not even the green beans, which he usually goes for.  Oh well, that just meant more for us.  We used the leftover rib meat and sauce to make sandwiches for lunch the next day. Yum!

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Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

3-4 lbs pork ribs

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard powder

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chipotle hot sauce

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

For the glaze/sauce (keep in mind my measurements here are guesstimates and adjust to your taste):

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup honey

2-3 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp mustard powder

splash of liquid smoke

splash of worcestershire sauce

splash of chipotle hot sauce

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

black pepper (only add salt if needed...taste first)

1/2-1 cup of the cooking liquid

Cut your rack of ribs in half or in thirds (whatever will make it fit in your slow cooker.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sear both sides in a skillet (I used cast iron) for a couple of minutes (or until browned).  Transfer the ribs to your slow cooker.  

While the meat is searing, stir together the rest of the ingredients.  Pour this mixture on top of the ribs.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 8).

When it's getting towards the end of cooking time, add the ingredients for the sauce to a sauce pan or skillet.  Heat it through until nice and sticky.  Taste and add more of any ingredient you think it needs. Add some of the cooking liquid, but keep the sauce thick.

Pull the ribs from the slow cooker and coat in the sauce and enjoy.  

cake wrecks

This blog cracks me up and I just had to share:  

 

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com

It is what it says it is, a blog all about cakes gone wrong.  And I've spent too much time looking through old posts.  Enjoy!