Easter

Time to start planning the Easter menu. Having 16 people to my home.

Snowman Cupcakes

Thanks to being on Twitter, I found these adorable snowman cupcakes another mom made; and thought I would share them with you all!

Link: http://www.lifetimemoms.com/food-family-recipes/blog/snowman-cupcakes-0

Vegan Cookie Recipes

Just stumbled upon this blog - and wanted to share with those who are interested!   Enjoy!!

The Unintentional Vegan - Cookie Recipes

Tastebook

I spent today updating my family recipe cookbook!!  You can see & order it here:  Jodi's Family Recipe Cookbook

Let me know in the comments if you sign up for Tastebook & if you order a cookbook!

Baked Brie Cheese with Apricot Preserves

1/3 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 sheet puff pastry (from 17.3-oz package), thawed (Pillsbury crescent rolls works nicely)

olive oil or vegan “butter” spread

1 round (8 oz) Brie cheese, cut horizontally in half

Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with foil or cooking parchment paper; lightly spray foil or paper with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix preserves, pecans and onion; set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll pastry into 10x14-inch rectangle. Using the round of cheese as a pattern, cut a pastry circle 3 to 4 inches larger than the cheese. Set aside excess pastry.

Spread half of the preserves mixture in center of pastry circle, leaving 3-inch edge. Place 1 cheese round (in rind) on preserves. Spoon remaining preserves over cheese. Top with remaining cheese round.

Gently fold edges of pastry up and over cheese to cover, folding and pinching edges to seal. Place seam side down on cookie sheet. Cut out decorative pieces from excess pastry. Brush pastry with oil or margarine; place pastry cutouts on top. 5 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Oma's Lasagne

This is my Mum's lasagne recipe.  I remember her making it when I was a little girl.  She made it for a dormitory of girls when we lived in Princeton, NJ.  And she also made this when she was a chef in Princeton at a restaurant, and for various restaurants in Northern Virginia when she lived there too.  She's also made it for me on special occasions.  I see her about once every decade (I'm not joking - we never see each other) - and so my mum makes her lasagne for me approx once every 10 years.  I've had it about 4 times in my life. Now, I have the recipe, and it turns out I've gone vegan.  But hopefully others will enjoy!!

Oma’s Lasagna

Meaty sauce layer

Sauce

1 Pkg of ground meat

1 lg can crushed tomatoes

2 T or more oregano

2 T basil

salt & pepper

1 Lg chopped onion

1 T minced garlic

1/2 cup red wine (rinse out the tomato can) with it

chopped mushrooms if you like

-

Cheese layer & noodles

1 container ricotta cheese

2 large eggs beat into the ricotta to make a paste

grated Parmesan, Romano and shredded mozzarella

2 pkg ready to use no boiling first lasagna noodles

In a large pot, brown the meat first. Add all the rest of the ingredients and cook on low heat for 45 minutes stirring often so it doesn’t burn.

In a lasagna pan, put a layer of sauce first then the noodles then the ricotta and cheeses. Continue layering until almost full. Finish with mozzarella cheese. Cover through first 1/2 of baking with a sheet of foil sprayed with cooking spray so it doesn’t stick to the cheese.

Uncover through last 1/2 of cooking. Total time will be about an hour at 350.

Let sit a good 1/2 hour or 45 minutes so cutting will be good.

Easy Vegan Wheat Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water
1 T molasses
2 yeast packets
3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix water, yeast and molasses in a large bowl.  Pour in the 3 cups of wheat flour and mix well.  Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a dry place.  Let sit for 20 minutes to a full day.

1/2 cup minus 1 T molasses
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/4 C soy milk
3-4 C unbleached white flour
1 t salt

Pour in the molasses, oil, soy, milk and salt.  Mix.

Add white flour a 1/2 C at a time.  After about 3 cups, the mix will get pretty dense.  Begin to knead.  It will still be sticky.  Add another 1/2 - 1 C flour and knead the bread.  Knead it for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

If making loaves of bread:
Cut into 2 equal parts.  Shape into loaves and put into 2 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 greased bread pans.

If making 24 rolls:
drop blops of dough onto a cookie sheet

You can also make 1 loaf of bread and 12 rolls

Cover the pans with the towel - put in warm place.  Let dough double in size.  It takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Bake:
Loaves of bread at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
Rolls at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 heaping tbs cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbs oil
1 tbs white or rice vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup cold water

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients, add dry and beat well. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes. For a layer cake, double the ingredients.

I just ordered my first cookbook that I made from TasteBook.com 
I'm so excited!  it took me 3 years to compile!  It's made up of all of my Christmas cookie recipes; and also other holiday cooking things.  most of the recipes are on this blog; but when I'm cooking, I'm not sitting at the computer in front of a blog.  So now I will have my recipes in a cookbook!  I'm so excited!!  A family tradition has been put into a binder & will be arriving at my house in about 2 weeks!


The book is called:  

Beatty Family Holiday Cooking

Vegan Easter / Roasted Vegetables

I've roasted my first ever set of vegetables!!  I'm so excited!!  This is my first ever vegan holiday meal.  Yum!!!

VEGAN

Dear blog readers:

I read a book "A new Kind of Christianity" by Brian Mclaren.  I also watched a show on Oprah Winfrey (the first show of hers I've watched in over a decade I think!) on becoming vegan.  And then I ordered the book, "Veganist" and a vegan ice cream recipe book.  And I decided to explore becoming vegan.  And I haven't looked back.

I'm not the most perfect vegan out there.  I'm sure I'm not doing things 100% vegan; but I'm getting better every week.  And my kids have turned mostly vegetarian.  At dinnertime, we're all vegan.

The recipes on here ... the ones that have been here for a while - will stay here.  I will be adding on vegan recipies from here on out.

Does anyone have a good punch recipe they'd like to share?  Maybe one with some lime juice in it?  I need to bring a big bowl of punch to an event on Friday...

-Jodi

Spiced Chocolate Coffee

A recipe from Bethenny Frankle's Valentines 2011 newsletter.

Makes 7 cups
Ingredients:

•     10 tablespoons ground coffee
•     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•     1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•     6 cups water
•     1/2 cup steamed soy milk
•     3 tablespoons agave nectar
•     1/8 teaspoon cocoa powder

Preparation:
Combine coffee, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a coffee filter. Brew with 6 cups of water in a coffeemaker, according to coffeemaker’s instructions.

Mix steamed soymilk, agave nectar, and cocoa.
Pour coffee into mugs, and top with steamed soymilk mixture.

Seared Smoked Salmon, Cucumbers Presse

2 large firm cucumbers, about 1 1/2 lbs
2 T lemon olive oil (see recipe)
1 lb best-quality smoked salmon with skin, cut in 1 piece from center of fish

Wash cucumbers and, using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin in thin alternating strips to create stripes.  Slice cucumbers into paper-thin rounds.  Place in a colader and toss with 1 T kosher salt.  Weight down and place in a shallow casserole or in the sink.  Let sit 1 hour.

Wash off salt under running water.  Press cucumbers between your hands to extract as much water as possible.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add 1 T lemon oil, a pinch of kosher salt if needed, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Chill until ready to serve.

Cut salmon into 6 thick strips across the width of the fish.  Heat a large nonstick skillet until very hot (almost to smoke point).  Coat skillet with 1/2 T lemon oil.  Add fish, skin side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until skin is crisp.  Continue to cook on all sides, 1 minute each, or until outside turns golden.

Do not overcook, as the interior should be rare.

Place cucumbers in centers of 6 large plates and top with hot salmon.  Drizzle with remaining lemon olive oil.  Serve immediately.

Serves 6. 

From the Cookbook:  "Healthy 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold
A great cookbook!  Fewer ingredients, yummier, not-so-messy kitchen, less expensive!

NOTE:  Lemon-flavored olive oils from Boyajian or Land of Canaan (Israel) are available in many supermarkets and specialty food stores, and all are kosher.  Be sure not to use the pure lemon oil generally used in baking.

Apples and Cranberry Compote

4 medium Macintosh apples, about 1 1/4 lbs
1 scant cup raw cranberries
5 T light brown sugar

Peel apples and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, removing cores and seeds.  Place in a 4-quart saucepan with cranberries, sugar and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover pot and cook over moderate heat about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until apples and cranberries are broken down and sauce is fairly smooth.  Let cool, then refrigerate until cold.

Serves 4.


From the Cookbook:  "Healthy 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold
A great cookbook!  Fewer ingredients, yummier, not-so-messy kitchen, less expensive!

My Favorite Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes, about 3 lbs.
2 juice oranges
2-inch piece fresh ginger

Scrub potatoes, do not peel.  Place in a pot with enough cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium.  Cook for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are very soft.

Meanwhile, grate rind of 1 orange on the file holes of a box grater to yield 1 t grated zest.  Cut oranges in half and squeeze 2/3 cup juice.  Set aside.

Drain potatoes in colander and peel thoroughly under cool running water.  Cut into large chunks and place in bowl of a food processor.

Using a small sharp knife, peel ginger and mince.  You should have almost 1/4 cup.

Add orange zest, juice, and ginger to food processor with potatoes.  Process until very smooth.  Transfer mixture to a saucepan and add kosher salt to taste. 

Do not add pepper, as the ginger provides enough heat.  Reheat gently before serving.

Serves 8.


From the Cookbook:  "Healthy 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold
A great cookbook!  Fewer ingredients, yummier, not-so-messy kitchen, less expensive!

Reindeer Bark

1 1/4 cups whole raw almonds
1 T olive oil
1/4 t fine sea salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 •

In a medium bowl, combine the almonds, olive oil & sea salt. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted & fragrant ~ 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

Turn the oven down to 250 • F.

Line a 17x11" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread both kinds of chopped chocolate all over the sheet. Place in the oven until soft, about 5 min.

Remove from oven and spread the chocolate with a spatula or dull knife evenly to the edges. Immediately sprinkle with the toasted and salted almonds. Bury the nuts in the chocolate.

Refrigerate the bark for 2-3 hours, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Wrap in parchment and store in a plastic container in the refrigerator 2-3 weeks.

Makes 1 pound.

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Sugar Plums

Habitat: United States/Portugal

Description: These are small candies made from a melange of dried fruit and they are great to make with kids, in which case, use the orange juice. Otherwise, for an adult version, go for the “spirited” variation. There are several ways to finish them off and I suggest that you choose at least two of the options.

Field Notes: The original version may have originated in Portugal where fresh black figs and cooked green plums were used to make a similar candy. I always associate them with the Sugarplum Fairies from The Nutcracker ballet. I think this is what the fairies eat when they want to sneak a sweet treat!

Special Characteristics: Quick to make, Extra fancy, Sturdy enough for mailing, Keep well, Fun to make with kids

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped dates
1/4 cup finely chopped dried figs
1/4 cup finely chopped dried plums (prunes)
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup finely chopped golden raisins
1/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut
2 tablespoons rum, orange liqueur or orange juice
Sugar

Optional Toppings:
Powdered sugar
Finely chopped pistachios
Finely grated bittersweet chocolate
Cocoa
Unsweetened grated coconut

Directions:
The key to this recipe is to have the nuts and fruits all the same small size. You may chop them by hand, or, chop one by one in food processor fitted with metal blade, pulsing on and off until the desired size is reached.

Place nuts, all the dried fruit, coconut and liquid of choice in medium bowl. Mix together by hand until thoroughly combined; the consistency should hold together when compressed. If it is dry, add a little more liquid.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls compressing the mixture so that it sticks together. Place sugar in small bowl and roll sugarplums in sugar to coat completely; place in small fluted paper cups, if desired. For the optional toppings: instead of rolling them in the granulated sugar, roll them in the suggested toppings. Try a few different versions, such as some rolled in pistachios, others in cocoa or coconut for a real variety of flavors, colors and textures. (Sugarplums may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month).

Yield: 36 sugarplums

Pumpkin Spice Truffle

I think this is the same recipe I made about a year ago for Thanksgiving.  It tastes just like pumpkin pie but is so much lighter and frankly, lovlier.  I'm going to make it again.  Yum!!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups heavy cream
• One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch ground cloves
• Pinch salt
• One 7.5-ounce jar marshmallow cream
• 3 cups chopped gingersnaps, plus crushed gingersnaps for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons dark rum (I use apple juice)

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until stiff. Reserve 2 cups whipped cream for serving; refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Fold in half of the marshmallow cream, then half of the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining marshmallow cream and whipped cream until combined.
3. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gingersnaps with rum.
4. Spoon one-third of the pumpkin mousse into a clear glass serving bowl, spreading evenly, and sprinkle half of the cookies on top. Repeat with half of the remaining mousse and the remaining cookies, then top with the final layer of mousse. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Just before serving, top with the reserved whipped cream and sprinkle with the crushed gingersnaps.

Easy Egg Nog

Egg nog is a pretty simple drink to make. This is the perfect recipe for egg nog novices. It's non-alcoholic, so make enough to share with the kids.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten well
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
• 2 1/3 cups milk

Preparation:

Blend all the ingredients together and serve chilled.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Please click on the title - it will take you to a cooking website.  Looks yummy!!!