Ingredients:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2-3 medium sized carrots, minced
½ cup white button mushrooms, minced
1 lb. extra lean (96/4) ground beef
4 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
buns of choice; I like Hawaiin sweet rolls as sliders
toothpicks

Directions:

1. On medium low heat, saute garlic and onions for 5 minutes, or until fragrant and translucent.
2. Add the carrots and dash of salt and pepper and saute for 5 more minutes, until carrots soften a little.
3. Add mushrooms and celery and stir; Saute for a few more minutes until softened.
4. Add ground beef and cook on medium high until the meat is no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is integrated well. Season to taste.
5. Lower heat to low and cook for at least 15 more minutes. Let liquids reduce down and flavors intensify. The longer you cook it, the more deep the flavors will be. Scrape spatula against the bottom of the pan periodically so the mixture doesn’t stick. Feel free to add a splash of water if the mixture gets too thick.
6. Served on toasted buns or slider rolls and hold together with toothpicks. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use half whole wheat flour for a healthier spin)

Equipment/Materials:

• 2 mixing bowls (one large, one small)
• electric mixer
• 1 small bowl for cinnamon/sugar mixture
• cookie sheets
• cookie drying rack

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and 1 tsp of cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture to form a stiff dough. Shape dough into 1 inch balls.
3. Mix together the other 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon; roll balls in cinnamon mixture.
4. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until nicely browned. Cool cookies on wire racks.
5. Feel free to sift over more of your cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Enjoy!

I adapted the recipe for this frangipane tart, but omitted the crust and added more almondy goodness via amaretto liquor AND almond extract. Yes, I love my almonds.

P.S. I’ll be posting in the Metric system from now on, now that I have my handy, dandy new electronic kitchen scale.

Ingredients: (Serves 4 in 4’’ ramekins)
75 g butter, at room temp
75 g white sugar
75 g almond meal
2 eggs
1 tsp amaretto liquor
1 tsp vanilla extract
t tsp almond extract
15 g white flour

Equipment/Materials:
large mixing bowl
stand mixer or electric mixer
4 ramekins
cookie sheet
spatula

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Cream the butter and sugar until pale, light ,and fluffy (at least 5 minutes).
2. Add the eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the almond meal and beat until mixed.
4. Add the white flour and beat until mixed. Set batter aside.
5. Spray your ramekins with olive oil spray, butter spray, or butter.
5. Line the bottoms of each ramekin with a single layer of fresh or frozen raspberries. Pour the batter over the tops of the raspberries, dividing the batter equally across the four ramekins.
6. Place the ramekins on top of a cookie sheet (this allows for easy entry and removal from oven) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the batter has set (it will be springy to the touch).

Let cool and enjoy!

Dutch Baby (serves 8)

• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cup skim milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small bits

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place 9×13 baking dish (or another similarly sized dish) into the oven, while preheating.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the milk and eggs. If you feel so inclined, add in a splash of almond extract (this extra almond kick makes it smell divine). Stir until smooth and slowly whisk in flour and salt until well-blended.
3. Open the oven and, with oven mitts, carefully pull out the rack with the baking dish on it. Dump the pieces of butter into the hot dish and swirl the baking dish around so as to coat the entire dish. Pour the pancake batter into the dish, push rack in, and close the oven door. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees cooking for additional 10-15 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Laura and I go way back. Friends since freshman year of college when we were randomly assigned to a triple room, it has been such a blessing having her in my life.

 

Laura woke up to the smell of dutch baby baking, turkey bacon cooking on the stove in a cast-iron skillet, and a saucepan simmering on low with bananas flambe. What’s not to love about this meal?

Bananas Flambe (serves 6-8)

Like the Dutch Baby, the bananas flambe was super easy to make. In a large saucepan set on medium heat, simply melt the butter and sugar together. Then add in the bananas and cinnamon and simmer on low heat. Before serving, add in the rum and voila! A yummy, banana-y topping for your dutch baby (or pancakes, waffles, ice cream, etc.).

• ½ stick butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 4 bananas, sliced in rounds and tossed with the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 cup to ½ cup rum (I used Bicardi)

If you have 1.5 or 2 cups of leftover bananas flambe and don’t want to waste it, simply make a loaf of healthy banana bread! I tossed together dry ingredients including: 2 cups whole wheat flour, dash of cinnamon, pinch of salt, and 1 tsp baking soda. Into a bowl, I poured the leftover flambe and kind of mashed it up to break up the banana slices. I tossed in one egg white and a splash of vanilla and blended together. Simply blend in the flour mixture and pour into a 9’’ loaf pan sprayed with olive oil spray. Bake into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. This particular loaf of bread was less moist than others, but topped with a sprinkling of chocolate chips, it was just perfect. Yum.

Ingredients:
Dough
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg

1 cup cranberries, roughly chopped

zest of 1 large orange

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 crushed candy canes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake 9 minutes.

I loved baking and making these treats. I know they say home is where the heart is. I say, home is where the heart and food are.

To make my sauce, I referred to Emeril Legasse’s recipe, but omitted the bacon and the ground pork, as well as opted for ground beef instead of ground veal. I replaced the heavy cream with skim milk, replaced the red wine with beef broth, and used more olive oil instead of butter. Remembering simple, healthy changes like these when adapting any recipe can save you a lot of calories without sacrificing quality.

It’s so easy to make. All it takes is some time. The sauce simply requires some quick sautéing, stirring, and simmering over low heat for three or four hours, and the outcome is a rich, meaty, hearty, faintly sweet, faintly spicy, creamy red sauce. Yes, I just used all those adjectives to describe this sauce, but all of those descriptions are, in fact, accurate. I hope you make this one some time soon because it’s a keeper!

Equipment/Materials:
cutting board
food processor (optional)
chef’s knife
large saucepan

2 tbsp olive oil
½ large yellow onion, minced
2 medium carrots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp Italian seasoning (or combo of rosemary, thyme, oregano)
1 tbsp parsley
3 tbsp tomato paste
splash Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
splash A1 steak sauce (to taste)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 cup non-fat milk
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat your saucepan to medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the minced onions and carrots (I like to use my food processor to get the veggies super fine). Saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add your garlic and saute for a couple more minutes.
3. Add your bell pepper and saute for a couple more minutes. (Most recipes call for celery, but I like the subtle spice of green bell pepper.)
4. Add the bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, paprika, and Italian seasonings. Stir to combine.
5. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink (about 5 minutes).
6. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and A1 sauce. Cook for 1 min.
7. Add in the beef broth, tomato sauce, and milk. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes to reduce down to thicken. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for at least another hour to allow the sauce to continue to thicken, the meat to tenderize, and the flavors to intensify.

8. Before you are ready to serve (I like to eat mine with whole wheat spaghetti), do a taste test. Add salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to also add more Italian seasonings, or other spices to taste. Enjoy!

1. Heat stainless steel wide saucepan to medium. Add the olive oil and heat. Lower heat to low. Add the garlic and shallots and saute until softened and fragrant.
2. Add chicken stock and milk and whisk together. Bring to a boil on high then immediately bring back to low.
3. Whisk in some of your flour to thicken the sauce, stirring constantly to prevent clumps.

4. Add nutmeg and white pepper and whisk.
5. Reduce down for at least 30 minutes. Add flour to thicken or milk to thin, depending on your preferences.
6. Just before serving, whisk in grated parmesan cheese and whisk until smooth. Add truffle oil and stir again. Serve over fresh, hot gnocchi. Voila!

I like to serve my gnocchi with caramelized onions and mushrooms that have been cooking on low heat for at least an hour.

To caramelize onions and mushrooms together, simply saute on low heat in olive oil, add some salt and pepper, a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and let cook for an hour. There you have it. A lovely side to gnocchi.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose or white flour
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup ground flax seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ cup (or 1 stick) butter
1 cup water
extra white flour for dusting

Equipment/Materials:
pastry mat or lots of counter space to work
parchment-lined cookie sheets
pizza cutter or other utensils to cut crackers
mixing bowl
rolling pin

Directions:
1. Sift all the dry ingredients together in your mixing bowl.

2. Cut in the butter until the dough resembles course crumbs.
3. Add water and knead until dough holds together.
4. Transfer dough to your work surface. Divide the dough in half and set one half aside. Dust some flour on your work surface and work with dough until it is no longer sticky. Roll out your dough until about ⅛ inch thick (or thin, shall I say). The thinner your dough, the crispier your crackers will be (though the more likely it will burn when baking).
5. With your pizza cutter, cut the dough into small squares (about 1×1 inch).

Transfer to parchment-lined cookie sheets and sprinkle some fresh coarse salt over the tops.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees or until crisp. Repeat with other half of the dough.

There you have. Easy, home-made savory crackers!